AB De Villiers smashed the living daylights out of the CSK bowlers, but then Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina answered in kind, with a little bit of interest.
The Chennai Super Kings put on a T20 batting masterclass, after De Villiers had gone berserk for the Titans, to pick up their first win of the Champions League T20 and with it also send a message to the rest of the teams that they mean business.
The Titans, led by De Villiers' stunning 77, posted a big score of 185 for five in their 20 overs in Ranchi. However, CSK, with Hussey and Raina in sparkling form, made the target look extremely easy, reaching it in 18.5 overs, eventually finishing on 187 for six for a four-wicket win.
It was not the best of starts for CSK, with Murali Vijay bowled for a golden duck in the first over from Roelof Van Der Merwe.
However, all that did was bring together Hussey and Raina, who decided to contest each other in who could play quicker and with more style.
Both batsmen made 47, with Raina scoring his in 28 balls (5x4, 2x6), while Hussey went a bit better, in just 26 balls (7x4, 1x6).
That partnership of 89 in 7.2 overs completely took the game out of Titans' hands with CSK easing to the target, despite losing Hussey and Raina close together.
Dwayne Bravo smashed a few boundaries on his way to a quickfire 38 (26b, 4x4, 2x6) with local boy M.S. Dhoni falling for 7, while Ravindra Jadeja also gave his wicket away. But then, Subramaniam Badrinath (20, 20b, 2x4) and Albie Morkel made sure there were no more hiccups.
Earlier, the Titans had a near perfect T20 innings - with their openers giving them a solid start, before passing the baton onto that ridiculous talent that goes by the name of AB De Villiers.
Henry Davids and Jacques Rudolph set the tone for the rest of the innings, allying for 46 runs from seven overs to lay the platform.
Rudolph was the first to go, run out for a 17-ball 21 (4x4), which turned out to be a good thing from Titans' point of view, because it brought in De Villiers.
The South Africa captain, whose IPL side the Royal Challengers Bangalore did not qualify for the CLT20, looked in brilliant touch right from the off.
Almost every single ball that left his bat was perfection, with the ease with which he hit the innumerable boundaries quite outstanding.
From a steady six-and-a-half an over, the Titans quickly went up in their run rate with De Villiers at the crease, while Davids (52, 43b, 4x4, 2x6) gave him good company at the other end.
De Villiers was particularly severe on Ravindra Jadeja, smashing the left-arm spinner for a massive 38 runs in just 12 balls - it didn't matter that Jadeja picked up his wicket in the penultimate over of the innings, with the proverbial damage already done.
Davids fell in the 14th over, but it mattered little to De Villiers as the elegant right-hander continued on his merry way.
De Villiers reached his half-century in just 27 balls, before smashing a few more sixes and fours to end his innings on a stunning 77 from 36 balls (3x4, 7x6).
It wasn't enough, though, as CSK romped home.
