Rajasthan Royals will host defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 16th match of the upcoming IPL season. The match is to be played at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, while young captain Riyan Parag will lead them for the fourth consecutive game of the season. RR Playing XI vs RCB Playing XI comprises of a bunch of talented Indian and foreign talents.
Rajasthan Royals, under the leadership of their new captain Riyan Parag, have managed to make it three consecutive wins in the season and had a promising win against five-time champions Mumbai Indians at this ground. Meanwhile, RCB have also continued their undefeated streak and will look to continue the same in the upcoming matches.
RR vs RCB Team News
Rajasthan Royals have been dominant on the batting front, especially with the two openers, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, leading the charts for them. Both the openers have their own unique roles and are playing it individually. The Royals bowling unit is in more promising form, as every bowler has found himself between the wickets.
On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore have a weak bowling lineup; However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya stood up on this occasion. However, their main strength lies in the power-packed batting lineup that includes Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd and the Indian trio of Padikkal, Patidar and Jitesh.
RR Playing XI vs RCB Playing XI: Predicted Lineups
IPL 2026, Match 16: RR Playing XI vs RCB
Openers: Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal
Probably the most dangerous opening pair of IPL. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been in full touch as the 15-year-old continues his excellent form. He has given some solid starts to RR as he bats with a strike rate of over 250 in the powerplay. On the other hand, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the top scorer in this edition and he averages 170 at the end of these three games. After consecutive half-centuries, Jaiswal is also batting with a strong strike rate.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel has got a new role in the RR camp. The batsmen stood out for RR in their first innings against Gujarat Titans. Jurel’s half-century showed great composure from the Indian cricketer and promises a good season in the IPL. Captain Parag has not been in form with the bat but has made some good starts.
West Indies attacking player Shimron Hetmyer has been seen in the same role as last season for the Royals. Hetmyer will finalize the innings. This batsman was in excellent form for West Indies in the T20 World Cup this year. South African all-rounder Donovan Ferreira has added aggression, while Ravindra Jadeja has added experience to a team full of youth.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Berger, Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma.
All the bowlers of Royals played well for them. While Jofra Archer is bowling well with tight lines and lengths, Nandre Berger is the leading wicket-taker in the team. India’s two fast bowlers Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma have surprisingly survived the death overs. Ravi Bishnoi forms a spin bowling pair with experienced Ravindra Jadeja.
Playing XI of Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Ryan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Joffra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Berger and Sandeep Sharma.
12th player: Ravi Bishnoi
IPL 2026, Match 16: RCB Playing XI vs RR
Openers: Virat Kohli and Phil Salt
Legendary Indian batsman Virat Kohli has scored 8000+ runs in his IPL career and he will be aiming for another promising season as he looks to increase his run tally to over 9000 by the end of this season. He has formed a dynamic duo with Phil Salt, who showed glimpses of good form in the last game and played a brilliant innings.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Romario Shepherd and Krunal Pandya.
RCB have usually used Devdutt Padikkal as their impact sub, who mostly comes in and guides them smoothly through the middle overs with players like Kohli or captain Patidar. The captain, on the other hand, has adopted a new role as he scores runs at a very fast pace in the middle stages. This is the stage where RCB usually aims to win the battle against any opponent.
Tim David, Jitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd are a true reflection of RCB’s firepower. They have been so relentless in one side that one of the best performers at the World Cup, England’s Jacob Bethell, has been left out even after playing the team’s first two matches. Krunal Pandya not only brings experience to this bowling attack but can also lead with the bat, which was evident in an innings or two last season.
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma.
In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has led the RCB bowling attack, while Jacob Duffy has replaced Australia’s lanky fast bowler and has made a good impact with the new ball. Suyyash Sharma has worked economically in the middle phase.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh and Suyyash Sharma.
12th player: Devdutt Padikkal
RR vs RCB: Complete impressive players list
Rajasthan Royals have mostly kept Ravi Bishnoi in the role of impact player; However, if the team starts with its bowling side then Suryavanshi or Donovan Ferreira can also be used as an impact player. Shubham Dubey has also served as an impressive player on previous occasions.
RR Impact Players: Ravi Bishnoi, Luan-Dre Pretorius, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh and Brijesh Sharma
Devdutt Padikkal or Suyash Sharma is one of the two frontline players playing impactful roles for Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, RCB has big names like Jacob Bethel and Venkatesh Iyer, who are yet to make it to the playing eleven.
Influential players of RCB: Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethel, Rasikh Salaam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer and Kanishk Chauhan.
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