L-R: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Rayyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Aayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma
An emotional subplot will headline Monday’s IPL match as Sanju Samson takes on Rajasthan Royals for the first time after captaining him for over a decade. Now with Chennai Super Kings, Samson – the former RR captain and all-time run-scorer – is back in top form after an impressive T20 World Cup campaign, in which he scored three consecutive half-centuries.Go beyond boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!His move, part of a high-profile swap that saw Ravindra Jadeja return to Rajasthan, adds further intrigue. With MS Dhoni out due to injury, Samson will share the captaincy duties with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top.
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Angkrish Raghuvanshi focused only on the team’s victories
CSK appear in transition, buoyed by emerging talent and a diverse bowling attack. Meanwhile, Rajasthan begins a new era under her rule
Ryan Baraj
with Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the batting alongside Shimron Hetmyer.While RR boasts explosive batting options, concerns remain about their bowling consistency. Both sides, coming off disappointing 2025 campaigns, will view this clash as an opportunity to reset and rebuild momentum.
Top 5 players worth following RR vs CSK clash
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (15 years old)The Rajasthan Royals opener enters her second season in the Indian Premier League carrying high expectations after a sensational debut year. At just 14 years of age, he wrote history when he became the youngest captain in men’s T20 cricket, scoring 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025.
His century came off just 35 deliveries, making him the second fastest in IPL history. Across seven matches, he has accumulated 252 runs at an impressive strike rate of 206.55, underscoring his fearless approach at the top.
Against Chennai Super Kings last season, he scored 57 off 33 balls, including four sixes and four fours. His powerful, explosive strikes make him a key figure in RR once again.Ryan Baraj (24 years old)Rayyan Parag begins his first full season as captain of Rajasthan Royals following the exit of Sanju Samson, taking charge at his home ground.
One of the youngest captains in IPL history, Parag has steadily grown into a central figure in the franchise since his debut in 2019. In IPL 2025, he led the team in eight matches and scored 393 runs, emerging as the second highest RR player with a strike rate of 166.52. His breakthrough came in 2024 when he amassed 573 runs in 16 matches at an average of 52.09.
Overall, Parag has 1566 runs from 84 matches at a strike rate of 141.84.
Against CSK, he scored 122 runs in eight matches, with a highest score of 47.Sanju Samson (31 years old)Sanju Samson will be in the limelight when he appears in Chennai Super Kings colors for the first time after being the face of Rajasthan Royals for over a decade. Having played 11 seasons with RR, he remains the team’s all-time leading run-scorer with over 4,000 runs. Overall, Samson amassed 4,704 runs in 177 matches in the Indian Premier League at an average of 30.94 and a strike rate of 139.04, including three centuries and 26 fifties.
He has entered the season with excellent touch after a Player of the Tournament performance in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
His first match against RR adds emotional weight, making him one of the biggest attractions of this competition.Kartik Sharma (19 years old)Kartik Sharma is a young wicket-keeper, known for his power-hitting abilities. He became the most expensive Indian non-player in the history of the IPL auction when Chennai Super Kings signed him for Rs 14.2 crore.
Having been part of the wider CSK squad in IPL 2025, he has now broken into the main team for the 2026 season. If included in the playing XI, Sharma could make his debut, and would bring with him the reputation of an aggressive young striker.Aayush Mhatre (18 years old)Aayush Mhatre, another exciting young talent, is entering his second season in the IPL after making a strong impression in 2025. He has scored 240 runs in seven matches at an average of 34.28 and an impressive strike rate of 188.97, including a high score of 94. Initially unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, Mhatre earned a mid-season call-up to Chennai Super Kings due to an injury to Ruturaj. Gaikwad and had an immediate impact. Against Rajasthan Royals, he hit 43 off 20 at a strike rate of 215, showcasing his aggressive style of batting.