RR vs RCB IPL 2026: Rain threat looms over Guwahati as Virat Kohli vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi clash

Rajasthan Royals are on a high after thrashing five-time champions Mumbai Indians by 27 runs in a rain-shortened match earlier this week. Now, Riyan Parag’s side will face defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati. Both teams are unbeaten so far and will be desperate to keep their winning run going.

Big battle between two star openers

This match is going to be extra special as it pits two in-form openers against each other, Virat Kohli from RCB and young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from RR. Both batters have been in outstanding form this season, and fans are eagerly waiting to see their battle.

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Rain threat returns to Guwahati

However, the weather in Guwahati remains uncertain. RR’s previous match against Mumbai Indians was reduced to just 11 overs due to heavy rain. The forecast for Friday also shows mostly cloudy skies with some rain expected in the afternoon. Evening temperature is likely to hover around 26 degrees Celsius, with a 56 per cent chance of rain.

According to the MET department, only about 0.6mm of rain is predicted, which should not be a big problem. Most fans are hoping for a full game.

Pitch expected to favor batters

The match will be played on the same pitch where RR posted a massive 151 runs in just 11 overs against MI. It is a true batting surface that will give confidence to batters from both sides. With so many big hitters in both teams, the bowlers could be in for a tough night.

Head-to-head record

RCB hold a slight edge in head-to-head clashes. In 34 meetings, RCB have won 17 matches, RR have won 14, and three games have ended with no result. In IPL 2025, RCB won both encounters against RR – by 9 wickets and 11 runs.

Important rules for rain

There is no reserve day for league stage matches in IPL 2026. Both teams must complete at least 5 overs each for the match to be counted as official. If the game is washed out completely, both teams will get 1 point each. So far this season, only one match (KKR vs RR) has been abandoned.

The latest possible start time for a 5-over-a-side game would be 10:50 PM IST.

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Singh, Adam Milne, Dasun Shanaka, Kuldeep Sen, Sushant Mishra, Kwena Maphaka, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Vignesh Puthur, Aman Rao Perala

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood, Mangesh Yadav, Swapnil Singh, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Satvik Deswal