Image: Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings fight for a fresh start. / © India Today
The night of 30th March, 2026, in Guwahati, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings will square off in the third match of IPL 2026 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium. Both teams had a rough season last year and will be eager to start this campaign on the right foot. The Royals scraped just four wins in 14 games and landed in ninth spot, while CSK finished dead last with the same tally. Not exactly the kind of memories you want to carry forward.
What makes this interesting is that Rajasthan has had CSK’s number lately. They’ve won four of the last five meetings between them. That kind of head-to-head record can play on the mind, especially on a ground where chasing has often been the smarter option. From the eight T20Is played here, teams bowling first have won four, batting first have taken three. First innings scores average around 160, but it tends to drop to about 153 when teams are going after the target under lights.
A few individual matchups could turn the game. Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled a bit against Jofra Archer, scoring only four runs from eight balls without getting out yet. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal seems to enjoy facing Noor Ahmad. He’s smacked 20 runs off nine balls and hasn’t lost his wicket to him.
Rajasthan will rely heavily on its young elite. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been on fire, racking up 458 runs in his last 10 IPL knocks at an average of 51 and a strike rate of nearly 168.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looks like a talent for the future with 252 runs in seven innings. Riyan Parag brings some steadiness in the middle with over 1500 runs in 72 games, and Dhruv Jurel has done well too with 680 runs from 35 innings. Bowling-wise, Jofra Archer is still their main weapon with 59 wickets in 52 games, and Tushar Deshpande has picked up 51 in 46.
On the other side, Chennai will look to their senior players to fire. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been their consistent man at the top with more than 2500 runs in 70 innings. Shivam Dube has been in decent touch lately, scoring 293 runs in his last 10 games. Dewald Brevis can change the game quickly with 455 runs in just 16 innings, and Sanju Samson carries massive experience with nearly 4700 runs across 172 matches. Rahul Chahar has 75 wickets in 78 games, while Noor Ahmad showed real promise last season with 14 wickets in his final 10 outings.
The weather might add a bit of drama. There’s about a 20 percent chance of rain, humidity around 75 percent, and temperatures expected between 19 and 26 degrees with light winds. After such a poor season last year, both sides will be desperate for that first win to build some confidence. Should be a proper contest with big shots flying and bowlers trying to outsmart the batters. Guwahati nights can throw up some surprises, so let’s see who starts the season with a bang.