Kolkata ‘: Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) face off against Rajasthan Royals (RR) to start their campaigns in the third match of the IPL 2026 on March 30 at RR’s second home ground, Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, at 7:30 PM.
CSK finished at the very bottom of the table last season, while RR ended just above them in second-last position. It will be fascinating to see how both teams bounce back this season with their new squads.
M.S. Dhoni, the mascot player of CSK, is set to miss the first two weeks of IPL 2026 due to a calf injury. CSK fans will definitely miss his presence in the opening matches. After playing for RR as a key batter and captain, Sanju Samson now plays for CSK this season. In the T20 World Cup 2026, Sanju performed incredibly for the country and became the Player of the Tournament. Fans are eagerly waiting to see how he performs for CSK. On the other side, Ravindra Jadeja will play for RR after spending many years with CSK. It will be interesting to see both players face their former teams in their first match of the season. Riyan Parag has become the captain of RR after Sanju left the team. Last year, Parag served as a temporary captain, and this season fans are excited to see how he leads the side. The situation is similar for Ruturaj Gaikwad. Under his captaincy, CSK finished at the bottom last season. It remains to be seen how he makes a comeback and leads the team in the absence of Dhoni for the first two weeks. Both teams have exciting young stars in their squads. Vaibhav Suryavanshi played fabulously for RR last season, while Ayush Mhatre is set to make his debut for CSK this season. Both performed incredibly well in the Under-19 World Cup 2026. CSK and RR have faced each other 31 times in the IPL, with CSK winning 16 matches and RR winning 15, making it a closely contested rivalry.
CSK Squad:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Kartik Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Matthew William Short, Aman Khan, Zak Foulkes, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Shreyas Gopal, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson.
Predicted Playing XI (CSK):
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Matt Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed.
RR Squad:
Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao Perala, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger.
Predicted Playing XI (RR):
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.
The weather in Guwahati is expected to remain warm and cloudy, with a 20–50% chance of rain (higher chances earlier in the day, decreasing by evening). Temperatures are likely to range between 27°C and 19°C. The pitch is expected to be good for batting, with some initial help for pace bowlers. Both teams are coming off a disappointing season, and it will be exciting to see how they recover and start their campaigns this year.
