‘I have never understood their story to date’ – Aakash Chopra baffled by Rajasthan Royals’ home venue

Former India opener Aakash Chopra was left baffled by Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) decision to play their first three ‘home’ games at Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium instead of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. 

The only connection RR currently has with the state of Assam is Riyan Parag, who was announced as the franchise’s new full-time captain after Sanju Samson was traded to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in exchange for the returning Ravindra Jadeja and all-rounder Sam Curran.

Despite the aforementioned link, Chopra believes that it is still not understandable for a franchise based in the western part of the country to play their home games more than 1,500 km away from Jaipur.

“Two teams are getting three games apiece at home. One of them are the Rajasthan Royals, who don’t play at home at all. I have never understood their story to date, as to what their system is. Their home away from home is in Guwahati. All three of their games are in Guwahati. I am wondering what their connection with Guwahati is,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“The team’s name is Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan is in the west of India. Guwahati is in the east of India. It’s understandable if Kolkata want to go there, as it’s their catchment area. You can still understand the affiliation for Guwahati since Riyan Parag is the captain now, but this team has nothing to do with Guwahati in any way,” he went on to add.

Out of the four games in the 2026 IPL, RR will play three games at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, against the Chennai Super Kings, the Mumbai Indians and the defending champions, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. 

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