Guwahati, April 9 (IANS) Two in-form teams – Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru – will square off in the 16th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium (ACA Stadium) in Guwahati on Friday, with one team poised to apply brakes on the other team’s winning streak.
Rajasthan Royals have surged to the top of the standings after winning all three of their matches so far, with victories over Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bengaluru head into the contest on the back of consecutive wins against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai.
Both sides boast formidable batting units, though Rajasthan appear slightly more settled with the ball under the leadership of Riyan Parag. The pace attacks on either side are equally threatening with the new ball. Jacob Duffy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar spearhead Bengaluru’s attack, while Jofra Archer partners with Nandre Burger at the top for Rajasthan.
A key battle will be how Bengaluru handle Rajasthan’s aggressive opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who have been in destructive form this season. In response, the defending champions will rely on Virat Kohli and Phil Salt to provide a steady start, paving the way for a late onslaught from Tim David, who made a significant impact in the previous outing against Chennai.
When: Friday, April 10, 7:30 PM IST
Where: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati
Where to watch: The RR vs RCB match will be broadcast on Star Sports channels, with JioHotstar live-streaming the game.
Squads:
Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Perala, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Jofra Archer, Kuldeep Sen, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, and Sandeep Sharma
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Philip Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Mangesh Yadav, Satvik Deswal
–IANS
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