The first month of the IPL is going to feel quite long for Chennai fans, as MS Dhoni has been sidelined with a calf injury. And to make things even more interesting, CSK will be facing Rajasthan Royals, which means they’ll be up against their former star, Ravindra Jadeja—“Thalapathy” himself. With Dhoni missing and emotions running high, this promises to be a very intriguing contest, and for sure a very emotional one as Sanju Samson to is playing against his former side.
So, without further ado, welcome back to SlogVlog! In today’s post, we’ll be covering everything you need to know about Match 3 of the Tata IPL 2026 between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.
Expected Playing 11:
RR:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Riyan Parag (C)
- Dhruv Jurel (WK)
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Donnovan Ferreira
- Jofra Archer
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Tushar Deshpande
- Sandeep Sharma
Impact Player- Nandre Burger
CSK:
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)
- Sanju Samson (WK)
- Ayush Mhatre
- Matt Short
- Shivam Dube
- Kartik Sharma
- Prashant Veer
- Akeal Hosain
- Noor Ahmed
- Matt Henry
- Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Player- Anshul Khamboj
Head to Head:
| Matches- | 31 |
| RR Won- | 15 |
| CSK Won- | 16 |
| No Result- | 0 |
Weather and Pitch Conditions:
As emotional as this match is for both RR and CSK fans, there’s a chance it might not even go ahead as planned, with rain expected in the afternoon and light showers predicted during the game. However if it does go ahead, and we all hope it does, then the temperature will stay between 20°C and 23°C, while the chance of rain increases from around 25% to 35% between 7 and 10 PM, which could lead to interruptions. Dew is almost certain to play a role as well. A fresh pitch will be used for this match, and since it has been under covers due to the rain threat, it remains a bit of an unknown. Because of the dew, captains winning the toss will most likely choose to bowl first without much hesitation.
How MS Dhoni’s absence can help Chennais prove themselves:
MS Dhoni has missed only five matches in his entire IPL career—three back in 2010 and two in 2019. Out of those five games, CSK have managed to win just once, against the Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils). So, it’s fair to say that CSK’s record without Dhoni hasn’t been great.
This makes his absence a big moment for this new-look CSK side. Whether Dhoni continues next season or not, the reality is that his career is nearing its final phase—he’s 44 now and will turn 45 in July. CSK have clearly started planning for life after the Dhoni era, and there’s no better opportunity than these early games for others to step up and take responsibility.
But honestly, speaking from a fan’s point of view, everyone just wants to see Dhoni back on the field as soon as possible. Take care, Thala!
Prediction:
We’re backing RR to win this match against CSK. If you look at the two sides, RR clearly has more experience and proven match-winners—players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Riyan Parag, and even youngster Vaibhav Suryavanshi. They also have a solid bowling attack to support them.
CSK, on the other hand, looks more stable than last year—there’s no doubt about that—but they still lack experience, which is quite unusual for a Chennai side. They do have match-winners like Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, but the overall experience in the squad is still on the lower side.
That said, as mentioned earlier, these early matches are a great opportunity for the younger players to step up, especially in the absence of MS Dhoni. It’ll be interesting to see if they can grab this chance and prove themselves.
If you want to see Ravindra Jadeja play against CSK for the first time in 14 years and if you want to see Sanju Samson play against RR for the first time in 13 years, then don’t forget to tune into JioHotstar at 7:30 PM IST.
Until Next Time!
Thank you.
SlogVlog 