Soggy skies greeted the toss in Guwahati, with the covers rushed back on just as Riyan Parag called correctly and chose to bowl. The Rajasthan Royals captain kept it simple: early moisture, a tacky surface and the chance to control a DLS chase if the weather turns nasty again.
For the Royals, Brijesh Sharma replaces Tushar Deshpande in the initial XI; left-arm quick Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is pencilled in as the Impact Player should conditions allow.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru make only one change, but it is a sizeable one. Josh Hazlewood, a key piece of their 2025 title run, has shaken off his side strain and been cleared by Cricket Australia. Jacob Duffy, impressive in his two outings, steps aside for now. Rajat Patidar, standing in as skipper while Faf du Plessis finishes rehab on a finger injury, confirmed the swap at the toss.
“We’ve been clinical before the start of the tournament. We want to play smart cricket. Hope we keep assessing and adapting,” Parag said, sounding more matter-of-fact than bullish. He added, “All three games are in the past, we have to perform. If we don’t, we’ll lose two points.”
RCB arrive on the back of two brisk wins at the M. Chinnaswamy, yet this is their first outing on the road. Last season they were unbeaten in seven ‘away’ fixtures, momentum that eventually carried them to a maiden IPL crown. The coaching group have been at pains to downplay any notion of a travelling aura, but Hazlewood’s return does deepen an already disciplined attack led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The ground staff in Guwahati have dealt with sharp showers across the week, and both teams expect the ball to nip around early. Spinners could come into play later, especially if the surface dries under the floodlights, but with more rain forecast no one is wagering with confidence.
Playing XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma.
Impact options: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood.
Impact options: Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer.
If the showers co-operate, this will be the final fixture in Guwahati this season, and both sides would prefer points rather than puddles. For now, everyone waits on the weather – something no tactics board can fix.
