RR’s weird edge over CSK
Since 2020 Rajasthan Royals have beaten Chennai Super Kings 9 times in 11 meetings, and that recent run pushed RR to 16 all-time wins versus CSK — tying Punjab for second-most behind Mumbai’s 21. That stat explains part of why RR are being talked about as serious early challengers this IPL: they’ve built a matchup advantage that keeps recurring. (cricbuzz.com)
Rajasthan Royals keep doing this to Chennai Super Kings even when the squads change, the venue changes, and the season changes. On March 30, 2026, Rajasthan bowled Chennai out for 127 in Guwahati and finished the chase in 12.1 overs, winning by 8 wickets with 47 balls left. (cricbuzz.com, espncricinfo.com) That result was not a one-off. Since the 2020 season, Rajasthan have beaten Chennai in 9 of their 11 Indian Premier League meetings, which is why this matchup now feels less like an upset and more like a pattern. (cricbuzz.com, iplt20.com) The pattern started in the 2020 season inside the United Arab Emirates bubble, where Rajasthan beat Chennai twice in 28 days. Rajasthan made 216 for 7 at Sharjah on September 22, 2020 and won by 16 runs, then held Chennai to 125 for 5 at Abu Dhabi on October 19, 2020 before chasing 126 in 17.3 overs. (cricbuzz.com, cricbuzz.com) Rajasthan did it again in 2021, and that one was even stranger because Chennai posted 189 for 4 and still lost comfortably. At Abu Dhabi on October 2, 2021, Yashasvi Jaiswal made 50 from 21 balls and Rajasthan reached 190 for 3 in 17.3 overs to win by 7 wickets. (cricbuzz.com) In 2022, Chennai got 93 from Moeen Ali and still lost. Rajasthan chased 151 at Brabourne Stadium on May 20, 2022, with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring 59 and Ravichandran Ashwin finishing unbeaten on 40 in a 5-wicket win. (cricbuzz.com) In 2023, Rajasthan swept Chennai again, and the margins showed two different ways of winning. They defended 175 by 3 runs at Chennai on April 12, 2023, then piled up 202 for 5 at Jaipur on April 27, 2023 and won by 32 runs. (cricbuzz.com, cricbuzz.com) The only season in that stretch when Chennai flipped the script was 2024, and even then they split the two games. Rajasthan won by 5 wickets at Guwahati on March 31, 2024, but Chennai answered at Chepauk on May 12, 2024 with a 5-wicket chase of 142. (cricbuzz.com, cricbuzz.com) Then Rajasthan swept Chennai again in 2025 before crushing them in the first meeting of 2026. Rajasthan beat Chennai by 6 runs in Guwahati on March 30, 2025, by 6 wickets in Delhi on May 20, 2025, and by 8 wickets in Guwahati on March 30, 2026. (cricbuzz.com, cricbuzz.com, cricbuzz.com) The names inside the pattern have changed, but one detail keeps repeating: Rajasthan have found ways to hit Chennai early. In the 2026 game, Chennai were 41 for 4 in the powerplay, and ESPNcricinfo noted that the score looked “straight out of 2025,” when Chennai had finished last in the league table. (espncricinfo.com, iplt20.com) That is why people are treating Rajasthan as more than an early-season curiosity in 2026. Chennai have won the Indian Premier League five times, but Rajasthan now own 16 all-time wins against them, level with Punjab Kings for the second-most against Chennai, with only Mumbai Indians ahead on 21. (iplt20.com, iplt20.com) Rajasthan are not just beating a famous team once in a while. For six seasons, they have turned Chennai into the one opponent they seem to understand on repeat. (iplt20.com, cricbuzz.com)
