Two left-arm openers were the ideal match-up for RR. Trent Boult is already a new-ball ace, but now they could also bowl R Ashwin. Boult was denied a first-ball wicket when Parag dropped Travis Head at backward point, but the pair combined to bowl four overs for just 25 runs. After CSK had dismissed the SRH openers with an off-side sweeper in the powerplay, Boult went the other way and placed two men deep down the leg-side to deny them any space. Ashwin was particularly unlucky not to have a wicket as he kept hitting the bat.
Avesh Khan and Sandeep Sharma reaped the rewards, removing Abhishek Sharma and Anmolpreet Singh with the first ball each bowled, resulting in the slowest powerplay for SRH this year: 37 runs.