🏏IPL 2026: RR vs RCB, 16th Match, BCS, Guwahati🏏

🏏IPL 2026: RR vs RCB, 16th Match, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on 10/04/2026 at 7:30PM IST🏏

Battle of two unbeaten teams

In the days leading up to IPL 2026, the conversation around Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) revolved around valuations, ownership, and their much-talked-about changes of owner. Within weeks, though, the focus has shifted to on-field performances and the excitement these two sides have caused. Their all-win record seems almost incidental.

If Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has brought the box-office appeal, Devdutt Padikkal has matched it with the purity of his strokeplay and a high-tempo presence at No. 3. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel's authority at the top has been mirrored by Rajat Patidar's remarkable six-hitting, while Nandre Burger's pace and late swing have found an echo in Jacob Duffy's relentless hard lengths. And this is without even mentioning Virat Kohli - an ever-present force at the top, whose evolving approach has now carried into a third straight season.

Success on the road was a defining feature of RCB's title-winning campaign in 2025 - they won all seven of their away games. A year on, they head into a demanding stretch away from home for two games with momentum behind them after commanding wins at the Chinnaswamy. But they also know RR are no longer the side that kept getting pipped at the post last season. RCB themselves orchestrated one such heist, defending 17 off the final two overs in Bengaluru, courtesy Josh Hazlewood.

The one clear difference between the two sides lies in the middle order. RCB's has looked imposing, with Patidar and Tim David particularly menacing - they lead the competition in six-hitting through the middle and death overs. RR, meanwhile, haven't had the chance to flex their middle-order might, which can be a double-edged sword. The top order's explosiveness - Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi have three successive half-century opening stands - has left Riyan Parag with limited time to settle in and find his range.

Friday could present him with an opportunity to sign off from this IPL in front of his home fans in Guwahati with a win, before RR head back to their original home in Jaipur. Between this fixture and their return home, they will have three straight away fixtures that could prove season-defining, as they search for that elusive second title, the wait for which has entered its 18th year.

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Team News:

Rajasthan Royals

Injuries/Unavailability: No injuries have been reported

Tactics & Matchups: Ravi Bishnoi has managed to restrict Virat Kohli and Phil Salt fairly well, and has troubled Tim David in the past. Expect the leggie to play a role in the Powerplay if the openers survive for long, and be brought on to control the menace in the death.

Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Injuries/Unavailability: At the optional practise session on Thursday, several players decided to skip. But no injuries have been communicated, even as Josh Hazlewood's return date is not known.

Tactics & Matchups: Apart from Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi, since 2022, none of Rajasthan Royals' batters have scored at a strike rate of over 135 against spin in the IPL. Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma could apply the much needed middle-over choke.

Probable XII: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma

When: Friday, April 10, 2026, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, ACA Stadium, Guwahati

What to expect: For a change, there is no prediction of rain during the match hours, even as brief spells of drizzle are expected earlier in the day. But don't be surprised if the sky is overcast at different times during the game.

Head to head: RCB have enjoyed a narrow 17-14 lead over Royals, having won four out of the six encounters between the two sides since 2023.

In the spotlight: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Devdutt Padikkal

These days, it's hard not to jump aboard the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi train. His thrilling half-century against Chennai Super Kings was excitement enough, until he took strike against Jasprit Bumrah and launched him for six off the very first ball. And another off his fourth ball. He was toying with Bumrah and Trent Boult in the powerplay, making jaws drop for the nth time already. He has now hit the very first ball of his innings for fours three times, and he has started with a six on two occasions. So much for the talk of second-season pressure, of bowlers figuring him out. Perhaps RCB have. Perhaps Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who flattened his middle stump the last time they met, has. We'll find out come Friday.

Devdutt Padikkal's transformation from a classical opener to a T20 slayer hasn't come at the cost of his technique. He hasn't slogged too many, yet maintains a strike rate of 201.81 across 55 deliveries faced in this IPL. The transformation feels all the more complete now because he has adjusted to a new role at No. 3. He has been outstanding against pace, particularly against back-of-a-length and short deliveries where his strike rate has shot up from 119 (in 2022-2024) to 191 currently. His middle-overs strike rate has also jumped from 121 to 158. On Friday, he will come up against a former team, who trialled him in the middle order and eventually left him out of the XI after a series of low scores. Now, they will all be plotting and planning against him.

Did you know?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has the best strike-rate by any batter in the Powerplay IPL since 2025. His strike rate of 227.35 in this phase is far ahead of the second best - Priyansh Arya's 180.46.

Six of Ravi Bishnoi's seven wickets this season have come with a googly. When he bowls the wrong 'un, he concedes runs at nearly half the rate as compared to his quicker ones and legbreaks.

In the 85 balls that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has bowled to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel in T20s, he has never dismissed any of them, and conceded 161 runs.

Stats

• The match is set to feature two of the most explosive death-overs six-hitters since IPL 2025. No one has hit more than David's 19 between overs 17 and 20. Jurel has hit 13, but he has since had a change of role, moving from the lower-middle order to becoming RR's No. 3.
• RCB have won nine of their ten games on the road since the start of IPL 2025. The only loss came against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Lucknow, which was marked as a "home" fixture that was moved from Bengaluru due to unseasonal thunderstorms last May.
• Sandeep Sharma has the wood on Kohli, having dismissed him seven times in 18 innings. Kohli has hit Sandeep for 132 runs with a strike rate of 150. On Friday, it's likely the two will have another new-ball duel in the powerplay.
• Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi are yet to be dismissed in the powerplay this season (the powerplay was truncated to 3.2 overs in their previous game against MI). They have racked up scores of 74, 69 and 59 in this phase.

RR vs RCB Probable Best Performers of the Match

Probable Best Batter: Virat Kohli

After scoring an unbeaten half-century in the tournament opener, Virat Kohli has thrown away his wicket despite getting good starts. In the upcoming match at Guwahati, Kohli will look to register a big score, which will not only give him immense confidence but also set the perfect platform for RCB, who are currently unbeaten in the 2026 edition of the tournament.

Probable Best Bowler: Sandeep Sharma

If 'underrated' is to be used for a bowler, Sandeep Sharma definitely fits the bill. During the previous clash against Mumbai Indians, Sandeep once again proved his class, sending back the dangerous Rohit Sharma for a paltry score to bring his team into the contest during RR's target defence. His matchup against Virat Kohli is also quite an interesting one, so it will be intriguing to see who gets the better of whom on Friday.