IPL 2020 Live Updates: Rajasthan beat Chennai by 16 runs, add first two points

The inaugural edition winners Rajasthan Royals add the first two points in their tally as they beat Chennai by 16 runs. 

Faf du Plessis walks back for a well-made 72 off just 37 deliveries as Rajasthan are in the driver's seat.

Chennai are 179/6 after 19 overs.

Can MS Dhoni-Faf pull off a miracle in the final two overs?

Chennai are 169/5 after 18 overs.

Faf du Plessis strikes three maximums off Jaydev Unadkat as Chennai get to 150 in the 17th over.

Chennai are 159/5 after 17 overs.

Chennai will be expecting skipper MS Dhoni & Faf du Plessis to stay in the middle right till the end.

Chennai are 132/5 after 15 overs.

MS Dhoni will be expected to finish things off in style as the three-time winners look to do the unthinkable.

Chennai are 115/5 after 14 overs. 

The three-time winners have lost half their side as Tom Curran has Kedar Jadhav caught behind.

Jaydev Undakat staged a good comeback as he gave away only six runs including a wide in the 13th over. 

Chennai are 108/4 after 13 overs.

Kedar Jadhav clobbers Shreyas Gopal for three straight fours off his final over.

Chennai are 101/4 after 12 overs.

The asking rate gets steeper for Chennai as Rahul Tewatia gives away only four runs in his third over.

Chennai are 86/4 after 11 overs.

Can Chennai pull off a miracle as they still have a huge mountain to climb?

Chennai are 82/4 at the halfway mark.

Debutant Ruturaj Gaikwad departs for a golden duck as Rahul Tewatia picks up two in two.

Chennai are 77/4 after 9 overs.

Rahul Tewatia has the last laugh after being hit for two straight sixes as he eventually gets Sam Curran's number. Curran departs for a 6-ball 17.

Chennai are 77/3 in the 9th over.

Spin doing the trick as Murali Vijay perishes going for the big shot.

Chennai are 58/2.

Rahul Tewatia provides a vital breakthrough for Rajasthan as Shane Watson departs.

Chennai are 57/1 after 7 overs. 

Not a good start for Shreyas Gopal as he concedes 11 runs off his first over on debut for Rajasthan.

Chennai are 36/0 after 5 overs.

Chennai openers breaking the shackles by scoring runs at will 

Chennai are 30/0 after 4.4 overs.

Jaydev Unadkat has managed to keep things tight in the first over.

Chennai are 5/0 after 1 over.

Jaydev Unadkat has the new ball in hand as the second innings gets underway.

Sanju Samson who had played an amazing cameo for Rajasthan has said that the wicket was not at all easy to bat on and that he had to wait for the a ball in order to time his shots to perfection.

Lungi Ngidi conceded 30 runs off his last over as he was clobbered by Jofra Archer for four consecutive sixes.

Rajasthan finish their innings at 216/7 from their 20 overs.

Jofra Archer has smacked Ngidi for three sixes in a row taking Rajasthan past 200

With just one over remaining in the first innings, Rajasthan will be aiming to get past the 200-run mark. Archer & Tom Curran are at the crease while Ngidi will bowl

Just as Rajasthan shift gears after a brief hiccup, Sam Curran has accounted for skipper Steve Smith. The Australian has departed after scoring 69

Riyan Parag walks back after hitting a boundary as Sam Curran picks up his second scalp in the over.

Rajastha are 173/6 after 17 overs.

Rahul Tewatia has been trapped plumb in front of the wicket by Sam Curran after a short cameo.

Rajasthan are 167/5 in the 17th over.

Rajasthan batsmen will be hoping to go out all guns blazing in the death overs.

Rajasthan are 166/4 after 16 overs.

Piyush Chawla picks up his first wicket by sending back Robin Uthappa for 5.

Rajasthan are 149/4 in the 15th over.

Sanju Samson's spectacular cameo has won praises from the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar.

After having reached a stellar half-century, skipper Steve Smith would be hoping to anchor Rajasthan's innings.

Rajasthan are 137/3 after 13 overs.

A non-existent second run ends David Miller's stay in the middle as he walks back without troubling the scorers.

Rajasthan are 133/2 after 12 overs.

A well-set Sanju Samson walks back to the dugout after playing a stellar knock of a 32-ball 74.

Rajasthan are 132/2.

Veteran leggie Piyush Chawla is unable to get his line & length right as he has conceded 19 runs off his second over.

Rajasthan are 119/1 at the halfway mark.

The inaugural edition champions have reached the three-figure mark in the 9th over.

Rajasthan are 100/1 after 9 overs.

As Sanju Samson makes his bat do the talking, Chennai are pleading Rajasthan to show some mercy.

Sanju Samson is making his bat do the talking as he has scored a brilliant 19-ball 50.

A poor start for Ravindra Jadeja as Sanju Samson hits him for two consecutive maximums. 

Rajasthan are 68/1 after 7 overs.

This is the very first time that Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith is opening the batting in T20 cricket.

Sam Curran failed to contain the batsmen like he had done in his previous over as he conceded 14 runs that included a maximum as well as a boundary.

Rajasthan are 40/1 after 5 overs.

Lungi Ngidi has come back really good after being taken to the cleaners by Steve Smith of his very first delivery.

Rajasthan are 26/1 after 4 overs.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's short stay in the middle comes to an abrupt end as he gives a return catch to Deepak Chahar.

Rajasthan are 11/2 in the third over.

Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith has executed his opposite number MS Dhoni's trademark 'Helicopter Shot' to perfection during his net session.

Chahar bowls a very good first over as he concedes just four runs.

Rajasthan are 4/0 after 1 over.

Deepak Chahar to star proceedings for Chennai with the new ball in hand. Can he make it swing straightaway?

Here is Chennai's updated Playing XI:

Young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal is all set to live his dreams as he has been included in Rajasthan's Playing XI for their opening encounter against Chennai.

He might not be playing the first match but Jos Buttler wants his team to go out all guns blazing against Dhoni & Co.

Just moments before their encounter, 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals seemed to have won everyone's hearts with a great show of sportsman spirit. 

Youngster Ruturaj Gaekwad gets his maiden IPL cap as veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu has been ruled out of this contest.

Here's a look at the Playing XI of Rajasthan Royals

Lady luck smiles on MS Dhoni once again and Chennai have decided to chase.

All eyes will be on Faf du Plessis as Chennai will be expecting him to make his bat do the talking once again and showcase some brilliant athleticism on the field as well.'

Rajasthan skipper Steve Smith reveals why this season will be different from the rest ahead of their season opener against Chennai.

Skipper Steve Smith looks all charged up as he is all geared up to lead his team from the front when the 2008 winners lock horns with Chennai at Sharjah.

As Rajasthan are about to kickstart their campaign, young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal looks excited as he is having a chat with the explosive Proteas middle-order batsman David Miller.

As the three-time winners are all set to face Rajasthan, they have a special message for all their 'SuperFans' out there who could not make their presence felt this time around due to the ongoing global pandemic.

The Chennai team is all geared up for the 'Royal encounter' in Sharjah after an intense net session.

Chennai's premier pacer Deepak Chahar will be hoping to make it matter once again with the new ball in hand as well as in the death overs.

Steve Smith & Co. are on their way to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium where MS Dhoni's brigade awaits them.

Ahead of their tournament opener against Chennai, Rajasthan have asked the fans how many scalps according to them will premier speedster Jofra Archer manage to register at Sharjah?

Ahead of their season opener, one of Rajasthan's star players Liam Livingstone has sent his best wishes to the inaugural edition winners.

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be hosting the first match of this tournament when former champions Chennai and Rajasthan lock horns in some time.

According to Accuweather, the temperature for the Rajasthan vs Chennai weather forecast is expected to be around 35°C during the commencement of the match. The temperature will pretty much remain the same during the finishing stages (31°C at around 11:00 PM IST). Meanwhile, the humidity levels throughout the course of the match will hover around 48%. 

The pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be a batting-friendly surface and we can expect a big score in the Rajasthan vs Chennai match. At the same time, it will also have something for the bowlers. The average score here according to the last five games played at the venue is 155. It is a fresh wicket and there won't be a lot of turn for the spinners, however, pacers will come into action and will get swing initially with the new ball. 

Read the full report here

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side have the upper hand when it comes to overall head-to-head encounters as they have managed to register 14 wins under their belt while Rajasthan has only managed eight wins in the 22 games that have been played so far between the two sides. Rajasthan had beaten Dhoni & Co. in the summit clash of the inaugural edition of the marquee tournament back in 2008 under the leadership of the Australian spin legend Shane Warne and that remains their biggest win in the tournament.

Chennai looks a strong team on paper despite the absence of two of their prolific players Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh who had backed out due to personal reasons. However, it seems like the former champions have their bases covered in the spin department as well as the number three slot. Ambati Rayudu who had batted in that position in the previous game made a statement right away as he scored a quickfire match-winning half-century. 

Rajasthan on the other hand will be hoping to overcome the absence of their star all-rounder Ben Stokes who is expected to miss the first part of the tournament due to personal reasons. New recruits Robin Uthappa and David Miller will be expected to make a tremendous impact at number three as well as in the middle-order respectively. The likes of Jofra Archer, Oshane Thomas, Andrew Tye, and youngster Kartik Tyagi form Rajasthan's pace battery whereas, another new recruit Mayank Markhande will boost the confidence of the Steve Smith-led side's spin attack.