Match 16 of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see the Rajasthan Royals (RR) take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Friday, April 10.
Both sides have made an excellent start to their respective campaigns and head into the game unbeaten. RR have three games out of three, with their most recent victory coming against the Mumbai Indians at the same venue. The 2008 champions secured a 27-run victory in a rain-affected 11-over match thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten 77 and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 39.
RCB, on the other hand, secured an emphatic 43-run win over rivals Chennai Super Kings at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. Tim David was the star of the show, scoring 70 not out off just 25 balls to mesmerise the home crowd.Â
RR and RCB played against each other twice last season, with the Bengaluru outfit coming out on top on both occasions. This included a nine-wicket victory over the Royals at their original home in Jaipur. The hosts scored 173 runs batting first, after Jaiswal scored 75 opening the innings. In reply, the eventual champions chased down the total with nine wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare after Phil Salt and Virat Kohli scored 65 and 62 not out, respectively.Â
Barsapara Cricket Stadium has seen two matches played on its surface this season, with the hosts winning on both instances. The wicket offers assistance for both batters and bowlers, making the clash between RR and RCB an exciting prospect for fans on Friday evening.Â
Barsapara Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
The wicket at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium has shown this season that it can be excellent to bat on. With both sides having a plethora of hard-hitting batters in their ranks, the team batting second can expect to chase a total above 200.
However, one should also not discount the bowlers. The weather in Guwahati is expected to be overcast with rain around the corner. These types of conditions particularly suit the fast bowlers, who can extract swing with the new ball to trouble the top order batters.Â
IPL Stats and Records at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium
| Matches Played |
8 |
| Matches Won Batting First | 4 |
| Matches Won Batting Second | 3 |
| Matches With No Result | 1 |
| Matches Tied | – |
| Average First Innings Score | 146 |
| Highest Team Total | 199/4 |
| Highest Total Successfully Chased |
152 |
RR vs RCB Strategies and Match-upsÂ
RR and RCB have a powerful opening pair, which always tends to give them fast starts and an excellent platform for the middle order to come in and capitalise. The defending champions, however, have a slight edge over their competitors in their lower order, with David and Romario Shepherd considered by many as two of the best finishers in modern T20 cricket. RR, meanwhile, have an edge over RCB when it comes to their new ball attack with both Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger causing issues to the CSK and MI top order in Guwahati.
RCB does hold a slight advantage against RR in their IPL head-to-head record, with 17 wins to their name compared to 14 for the Royals in 34 encounters. This includes winning three out of their last five meetings.
