Guwahati, March 31 -- Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey admitted his side was outplayed by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener on Monday in Guwahati.

He noted that the pitch, which had been under covers, offered early movement that CSK's batters struggled to adapt to. Hussey, however, remains optimistic, expecting significantly improved batting performances going forward in the tournament.

Fiery bowling spells from Jofra Archer, Ravindra Jadeja and Nandre Burger and a sensational half-century from Vaibhav Suryavanshi helped RR to an eight-wicket win over five-time champions CSK on Monday.

"They outplayed us today, but I think it was a good toss to win, definitely. The pitch had be...