Loyalties seldom last in the ever-shifting world of T20 leagues. A player is expected to switch loyalty instantly with a switch of teams. And while it appears as if it’s no big deal, the psychological side of it does make it a tricky task.

That exactly is the challenge that awaits Sanju Samson and Ravindra Jadeja, the players who were traded by their respective teams. So Samson is now a Chennai Super Kings man, while Jadeja is in the pink camp of the Rajasthan Royals. When the two teams face each other in Guwahati on Monday, will these two players be able to overcome the psychological barrier and inflict damage on the teams they called their own until last year?

But the Samson-Jadeja subplot, though interesting, is just a subplot in the bigger picture. There are broader questions that the two teams will seek answers to when they take the field for their first match of the season.

For the Super Kings, it is about how well they cope with life without Mahendra Singh Dhoni. No, the 44-year-old hasn’t retired yet, but is out for two weeks as he nurses a calf strain.

Some feel that Dhoni’s absence might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the team as it will enable them to forge better combinations.

For the Royals, it’s about how well their blockbuster opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhab Sooryavanshi combine and whether young skipper Riyan Parag is able to absorb the pressures of captaincy and yet perform.

Super Kings’ Dewald Brevis has a side strain and so is out of the game.

The teams will also keep an eye on the sky as there were rains in Guwahati on Sunday.