The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati is set for an emotional and high-octane encounter tonight as the Rajasthan Royals (RR) take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This isn’t just Match 3 of IPL 2026; it’s a narrative-shifting clash featuring massive trades and leadership debuts.
The Sanju Samson Reunion
The biggest storyline of the night is Sanju Samson. After leading the Royals for years and becoming their all-time top run-scorer, Samson will walk out in “Yellow” for the first time. To make it even more poetic, his CSK debut comes against his former franchise. With MS Dhoni ruled out for the first two weeks due to a calf strain, Samson will also take over the wicketkeeping duties for the five-time champions.
Riyan Parag’s Home Test
On the other side, the “local boy” Riyan Parag officially begins his tenure as the full-time captain of the Rajasthan Royals. Leading his side in front of his home crowd in Assam, Parag faces the daunting task of outmaneuvering a tactical CSK unit led by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The Jadeja Factor
In another “switch” that has fans buzzing, Ravindra Jadeja returns to the Royals—the franchise where his IPL journey began in 2008. After being the heartbeat of CSK for over a decade, Jadeja’s intimate knowledge of the Chennai batters’ triggers will be Rajasthan’s “human database” in the middle overs.
Match Details & Pitch Report
- Venue: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati (RR’s adopted home).
- Pitch: Historically a batting paradise. However, heavy rain on the eve of the match has kept the surface under covers. Expect some early moisture for the pacers before the dew factor makes it a “chase-biased” environment.
- Head-to-Head: Extremely close. Out of 32 meetings, both teams have won 16 each. However, RR has won 8 of the last 10 encounters.
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Ruturaj Gaikwad (C) |
| Vaibhav Suryavanshi | Sanju Samson (WK) |
| Riyan Parag (C) | Ayush Mhatre |
| Dhruv Jurel (WK) | Shivam Dube |
| Shimron Hetmyer | Matthew Short |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Kartik Sharma |
| Donovan Ferreira | Prashant Veer |
| Jofra Archer | Jamie Overton |
| Ravi Bishnoi | Noor Ahmad |
| Sandeep Sharma | Khaleel Ahmed |
| Nandre Burger (Impact) | Matt Henry |
R vs CSK Live Score