RR vs CSK Toss & Team News: Rajasthan Choose to Bowl First in IPL 2026 Clash

Key Players Missing from Both Teams

The five-time IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings, are set to face the inaugural IPL winners, Rajasthan Royals, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. This match is expected to be a thrilling encounter, despite both teams missing some of their key players. Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis, MS Dhoni, and Dewald Brevis have all been sidelined due to injuries. However, both Gaikwad and Parag are hopeful for a strong start to their IPL 2026 campaigns.

Toss and Decision to Bowl First

At the toss, Rajasthan Royals’ skipper, Riyan Parag, won the coin toss and opted to bowl first. The decision was influenced by the weather conditions in Guwahati, where there has been significant rainfall. Parag explained that even though the wicket is on red soil, it still holds some moisture. He aims to take advantage of this in the early overs and then reassess the game’s direction.

Parag shared his thoughts on leading the team:

“We’re bowling first. There’s been a lot of rain here actually. So even though it is a red soil wicket, it’s going to be a little moisture. So we want to try and extract that in the first few overs and then see how we go back into the game. (On leading RR) It feels nice. It feels very overwhelming. I’ve been with this franchise for eight years now. And then seeing the transition that has happened from me being a 17-year-old to being here as captain, I feel the support has been incredible. All my peers have been really supportive and very helping towards me. So hopefully a good campaign for us. I think the goal is to win the championship. With the trades and the auction, I think what we’ve tried to do is have a lot of smart cricketers, a lot of all-rounders and people who have different skills, so that when we get conditions like this or a flat wicket in Mumbai or a green top in Kolkata, we can adapt and play accordingly. So that’s the plan. Our four overseas are Nandre, Jofra, Donovan and Shimron Hetmyer.”

CSK Captain’s Comments

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of Chennai Super Kings, also shared his perspective on the toss. He stated that it was an obvious choice to bowl first, given the overcast conditions and the wicket being under covers for a long time. Although he would have preferred to bat first, he emphasized the importance of starting the game positively.

Gaikwad reflected on the youth in the squad:

“It was a no-brainer to bowl first actually. The wicket has been under the covers for a long time now, with overcast conditions as well, so we would have loved to bowl first, but neverheless, we’ll look to start positively. (On having a lot of youth in the squad) Well, it was not something which we decided at the start of the cycle, but you saw that how the last year really went for us. And that is how we thought we’ll go into the auction with some strategy behind it, whatever options that are available, what are the best options that are available and buy them into the team and buy them into the culture and let’s hope that they go really well. So that was the thought process behind it and hopefully it will work. Our overseas players are Matt Short, Jamie Overton, Noor and Matt Henry. We’re going with seven batters to start with. Hopefully if we get a start well, maybe the impact sub will come on later.”