Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore are the two unbeaten teams in this edition of the competition, and it is time for either of these two teams to suffer their first defeat of the season. Will it be the defending champions or will the young Royals team move forward with promising youngsters?
Rajasthan Royals will go into the upcoming game with immense confidence after defeating Mumbai Indians, while RCB demolished CSK in their last game, scoring a massive score of 250 runs in their 20 overs. This means both teams are coming off after humiliating the five-time champions in their last game.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB Match Preview
Both these teams have made a great start to their campaign. While Rajasthan Royals top the points table with 6 points from 3 matches, the defending champions are currently placed third, having played and won two matches so far.
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Both these teams have given excellent performance to their batsmen in all the matches played in IPL 2026. The opening pair of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been devastating to any bowling lineup, while RCB have dominated with their excellent batting depth and firepower.
Match Details:
venue: ACA Stadium, Guwahati
date: 10 April 2026
Time: 7:30 PM IST, 2:00 PM GMT
Squad:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Luan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Ryan Parag, Ravindra Jadeja, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Dasun Shanaka, Joffra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Nandre Berger, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Kuldeep Sen, Adam Milne and Quena Mafaka.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox, Krunal Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Battel, Swapnil Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Mangesh Yadav, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chauhan, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salaam, Suyyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh, Satwik Deswal and Vicky Ostwal.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB Playing XI
Rajasthan Royals are likely to continue with the same playing XI as they look for consecutive wins. The batsmen have made promising contributions, with nothing much to do for the lower order; He may be tested against RCB’s strong bowling lineup.
Playing XI of Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Ryan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Joffra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Berger and Sandeep Sharma.
12th player: Ravi Bishnoi
Royal Challengers Bangalore do not have the best bowling lineup as their key bowlers are out due to injuries. However, the RCB batsmen have set huge targets for their bowlers to defend, and the bowlers have dominated to their maximum extent; However, bowling against the Royals’ two opening batsmen will be a tough task.
Playing XI of Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh and Suyyash Sharma.
12th player: Devdutt Padikkal
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB impact players list
Rajasthan Royals have been using Ravi Bishnoi as their impact player and are likely to proceed with the same plan, as the leggie is currently leading the IPL 2026 Purple Cap leaderboard and has taken 7 wickets in the first three matches.
RR Impact Players: Ravi Bishnoi, Luan-Dre Pretorius, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh and Brijesh Sharma
Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the most powerful teams to watch and will continue to use Karnataka batsman Devdutt Padikkal as their impact player. The cricketer has been in great form this season with two consecutive fifties in two matches. If they bat first, Suyyash Sharma can play as an impact sub.
Influential players of RCB: Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethel, Rasikh Salaam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer and Kanishk Chauhan.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB pitch report
The upcoming much-awaited contest between the Royals and the Royal Challengers will be played at Rajasthan’s second home stadium, having played their opening matches at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati.
The pitch is considered to be one of the healthiest tracks for spinners, which will help the RR spinners dominate; However, the RCB team has the same spin bowling pack which consists of a left-arm orthodox spinner and a leggie. The fast bowlers get some help early on, but batting conditions have improved recently at the ACA Stadium.
The outfield is moderately fast; However, it is clear that batting first helps on this surface, as yorkers and slower balls can come in handy for the fast bowlers by building up enough pressure on the scoreboard.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB Weather Report
Guwahati is experiencing very nice weather at this time, as the temperature is mild and drops further during the night. Winds are expected, which may facilitate bowling with lighter balls.
Rain can be a major concern at this venue, as was seen during the last game between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. Under such circumstances fewer matches may be possible; However, dew will not likely be a factor in this game.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB head-to-head record and last 5 matches
Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a better record against Rajasthan Royals, as they have dominated with a higher number of wins. However, talking about recent form, RCB won both the matches played between these two teams last season; However, in 2024, the Royals achieved a double victory.
Both the teams have met a total of 34 times in the IPL, while RCB has managed to win 50% of the matches. Rajasthan Royals have won 14 matches, while three matches have ended without a result.
Last 5 matches:
- Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 9 wickets
- Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 11 runs
- Rajasthan Royals won by 6 wickets
- Rajasthan Royals won by 4 wickets
- Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 11 runs
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB players to watch
Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been a player to keep an eye on ever since he made his IPL debut. This young player has been the player who has given Rajasthan a great start as a franchise. Young Suryavanshi against Jacob Duffy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be a sight to behold for RR and RCB fans.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is in tremendous form for Rajasthan Royals. While Suryavanshi has been giving the starts to the Royals, Jaiswal has led them to big scores as he has added crucial runs at the top of the order and is the frontrunner for the Orange Cap for the Royals.
Devdutt Padikkal has been the star of RCB’s batting lineup as the Karnataka batsman has continued his dream run from the domestic season to the IPL. Currently, Padikkal leads the charts as the highest run-scorer for RCB; In the upcoming match, he will once again be an important player on whom everyone will keep an eye.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most experienced fast bowler of RCB. Bhuvneshwar completed 200 wickets in the IPL and has performed with absolute accuracy this season for the Challengers. He has also served as their leading bowler in the death overs since last season.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB key battles worth watching
The match between the two giants will mark several important battles across multiple stages, the most anticipated of which will be between the fearless Vaibhav Suryavanshi and the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While Suryavanshi takes the game away during the powerplay, Bhuvi has been effective in taking wickets with the new ball.
Another important encounter will be between Virat Kohli and RR pace sensation Nandre Berger. Whereas the veteran batsman would like to dominate in the powerplay to give his team a good start. Berger is a left-arm fast bowler and Kohli has struggled against left-arm fast bowlers as they often tease the outside edge of the batsmen.
Finally, star spinner Ravi Bishnoi will face RCB middle-order batsman Tim David, who wreaked havoc on Chinnaswamy during his last game against Chennai Super Kings.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB Live Streaming & Telecast Details
IPL is one of the most watched competitions in the world. Before the start of the IPL season, its broadcasting and broadcasting rights are sold at huge prices. Star Sports Network is broadcasting the match in India, while JioHotstar has taken up the streaming rights.
IPL 2026: RR vs RCB Match Prediction
Rajasthan Royals will enter the match as slight favorites due to their form and the advantage of playing a few matches at this venue. Current champion RCB will aim to continue its winning streak. As per team balance, RCB can be considered as slight favourites.
Also Read: MS Dhoni out of IPL 2026? Update regarding ‘only jogging’ surprises CSK
