IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals Opt To Field Against CSK In Guwahati, No MS Dhoni For Chennai

CSK vs RR IPL 2026: Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to field against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Monday.

Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson are set to face their former teams- RR and CSK, adding an extra layer of excitement to this encounter. Samson's exit from RR marked the end of an 8-year tenure. He joined CSK on a trade deal. Jadeja's return to Rajasthan reunites him with his former franchise after 12 trophy-laden years with Chennai.

In a major blow, MS Dhoni will miss the opening weeks of IPL 2026 due to a calf strain.

Speaking at the time of toss, RR captain Riyan Parag said, “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 bein 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," he added. 

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said, “It was a no-brainer to bowl first. Nevertheless, we'd like to start positively. You saw how the last year went for us. We went to the auction with some strategy. Let's hope that they go really well. Our overseas players are Short, Overton, Noor and Matt Henry.”

IPL 2025: CSK vs RR Playing XIs

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma(w), Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma