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The 2026 IPL season ignites with a high-stakes match as the Rajasthan Royals host the Chennai Super Kings at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. This Match 3 encounter is defined by a landscape-shifting trade that has fundamentally altered both franchises. Sanju Samson, the long-standing heartbeat of the Royals, makes a surreal appearance in CSK yellow, while the legendary Ravindra Jadeja returns to the nursery where his career began under Shane Warne in 2008. Adding a layer of local fervor, Guwahati’s own Riyan Parag steps up as the full-time captain of the Royals, eager to prove his leadership on home soil.
On the opposite side, Ruturaj Gaikwad returns at full fitness to lead a revitalized Chennai squad looking to erase the memories of a lacklustre 2025 campaign. However, the Super Kings face a significant emotional and tactical hurdle: the absence of MS Dhoni. The veteran icon is set to miss the initial two weeks of the 2026 season due to calf strain injury, leaving a void in the lower order and the leadership group. As these two heavyweights clash in the humid Assam air, the narrative of traded icons and missing legends sets the stage for a truly unpredictable thriller.
RR vs CSK, Head-to-Head Record in IPL
Matches played: 31 | CSK won: 16 | RR won: 15 | No result/Tied: 0
Probable XI of Both Teams
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravi Bishnoi, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande
Impact Player options: Kuldeep Sen / Shubham Dubey
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Matt Henry
Impact Player options: Rahul Chahar / Mukesh Choudhary
Also READ: Here’s why MS Dhoni will miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026
IPL Stats and Records at Barsapara Cricket Stadium
- Total matches: 6
- Matches won batting first: 3
- Matches won bowling first: 2
- No Result: 1
- Average 1st Inns scores: 180
- Average 2nd Inns scores: 143
- Highest total recorded: 199/4 (20 Ov) by RR vs DC, 2023
- Lowest total recorded: 142/9 (20 Ov) by DC vs RR, 2023
- Highest score chased: 153/2 (17.3 Ov) by KKR vs RR, 2025
- Lowest score defended: 182/9 (20 Ov) by RR vs CSK, 2025
Also READ: Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026 Full Schedule: Date, Time & Venues of RR matches
