Rajasthan Royals hammered Chennai Super Kings in their opening game of the IPL 2026. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side had a rough day on all three fronts of the game and unless they recover quickly, Chennai could once again fail to progress to the playoffs. Last year, they finished at the bottom of the table and that resulted in a few crucial changes to the squad, but it seems that many of the players are currently out of form.
Next up, they will play Punjab Kings on their home turf at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Ahead of that, the team can consider three changes to the playing XI to register their first win of the season.
3. Dewald Brevis
South Africa international Dewald Brevis was ruled out of CSK’s opening game of the season. Coach Stephen Fleming confirmed that the youngster was dealing with a side strain and would miss the first game. He is expected to recover for the next game and be back in the playing XI. In all likelihood, he is expected to replace Matt Short, who featured at four against Rajasthan.
2. Akeal Hosein
Noor Ahmad is an excellent option in the shortest format of the game, but he leaked 24 runs in the two overs he bowled against Rajasthan. Keeping that in mind, the team management can bring in Akeal Hosein, who can also bowl in the powerplay. Matt Henry was smacked in the previous game and thus, Akeal could be used early on, while Khaleel can bowl in the middle overs and in death.
1. Urvil Patel
Urvil Patel had an impressive campaign last year, scoring 68 runs in three matches, at a blistering strike rate of 212.50. Now, since the batting unit flopped miserably in the previous match, he could be considered to bat in the middle order, replacing either Ayush Mhatre, who made a golden duck against Rajasthan or Sarfaraz Khan.
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