IPL 2026 match alert: RR, CSK clash in Guwahati
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season opener will see Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. The match, scheduled for March 30, is a chance for both teams to redeem themselves after disappointing performances in IPL 2025. CSK finished last while RR ended up ninth. Here are further details.
Game strategy
Dew is likely to play a part
The Baraspara Cricket Stadium is known to favor teams bowling first, as dew makes chasing easier under lights. The pitch is expected to be a good one for batters in both innings, but bowlers need to be disciplined with their line and length. Meanwhile, the game will get underway at 7:30pm IST.
Team news
Dhoni to miss CSK's first few games
CSK will be without MS Dhoni, who is unavailable for the first few games due to an injury. Hence, Sanju Samson, who was RR's skipper until last season, is likely to take over wicket-keeping duties. RR are also hoping to bounce back this year with a revamped squad. Despite losing Samson, RR have a lot of batting firepower. In a historic trade, they also bagged the services of Ravindra Jadeja - one of the best all-rounders in IPL history.
H2H
Who leads the head-to-head record?
As per ESPNcricinfo, CSK and RR have locked horns 31 times in the IPL, with the Super Kings winning on 16 occasions. The remaining 15 games have gone in Rajasthan's favor. Though CSK are ahead of RR in terms of overall head-to-head record, the Men in Pink have dominated the recent outings. Since the start of the 2020 season, the five-time champions have lost eight of their 10 matches against RR.
Performers
Here are the key performers
Ruturaj Gaikwad has scored 273 runs across eight games against the Men in Pink. He averages a brilliant 45.5. Yashasvi Jaiswal's 559 runs last season came at an average of 43 and a strike rate of 159.71. At the 2026 T20 World Cup, Samson bagged the Player-of-the-Tournament award with three back-to-back scores of 85-plus. Jadeja is the only all-rounder with the IPL double of 3,000 runs and 150 wickets.