India, March 31 -- Sanju Samson, fresh off a T20 World Cup for the ages, was the danger-man on debut for Chennai Super Kings. But he came up against a team that knows all about him, facing the team he used to captain in Rajasthan Royals, and was undone early as he had to walk back for 6 in the team's season opener in Guwahati.

For a man who was enjoying a purple patch that saw him score 275 aggregate runs in his last three innings of the World Cup, it was a dismissal that set the tone for the game as RR went on to win by 8 wickets and with nearly eight overs to spare. And Samson's wicket was no slice of luck: it was meticulously calculated, a game-plan working to perfection by containing his strengths.

RR captain Riyan Parag set a sligh...