IPL 2026, RR vs RCB: Guwahati set for 'Battle Royale'
What's the story
The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to witness a thrilling encounter between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Guwahati's Barsapara Cricket Stadium. The match, 16th of this season, will take place on Friday. Both teams have had a terrific start to their campaigns. While defending champions RCB won their opening two games, RR are unbeaten after three.
Details
Pitch report and weather conditions
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium will host its last game of IPL 2026. The last match here was a rain-truncated 11-over match, where RR hammered 150/3 against Mumbai Indians. Before that, RR bowled Chennai Super Kings out for 127 and chased it down easily. Expected the surface here to aid batters, with dew making an appearance. It will be a clear evening in Guwahati with an 83% humidity.
Team dynamics
RR's bowling vs RCB's batting
The impending match promises to be exciting as both teams boast strong bowling line-ups. However, RR's attack looks slightly more robust, with Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger sharing new-ball duties. Meanwhile, an in-form Jacob Duffy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will open the bowling for RCB. While RR will once again bank on the firepower of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, RCB have a flamboyant finisher in Tim David, apart from a solid top order.
Lineups
A look at likely XIs
RR (Probable XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Riyan Parag (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, and Sandeep Sharma. RCB (Probable XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Jitesh Sharma (wicket-keeper), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, and Jacob Duffy. Impact players: Ravi Bishnoi (RR) and Suyash Sharma (RCB).
Match history
Head-to-head record
The rivalry between RR and RCB has been neck-to-neck over the years. Out of their 33 encounters, the Royals have won 14 matches, while RCB have a slight edge with 17 wins, as per ESPNcricinfo (NR: 2). The two sides will clash for the first time in Guwahati. And the head-to-head record in Jaipur is tied at 5-5. This history makes their upcoming clash even more interesting.
Numbers
Here are the notable numbers
According to ESPNcricinfo, Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer against RR in the IPL. He remains the only batter with 800-plus runs in this regard. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja has the third-most wickets against RCB (26 scalps at 29.38). Bhuvneshwar Kumar is set to overtake Piyush Chawla in terms of IPL appearances (192 matches each). Yashasvi Jaiswal currently has the Orange Cap with 170 runs, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has struck at 248.97.
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