The Rajasthan Royals will host the defending champions, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, for the 16th Match of the upcoming IPL season. The match is scheduled to be played at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, while Riyan Parag, the young skipper, will lead them in their fourth straight game of the season. The RR Playing XI vs RCB Playing XI comprises a stack of the brightest of Indian and overseas talents.
Rajasthan Royals, under their new skipper Riyan Parag, have managed to secure three consecutive wins in the season and come off a promising win at this venue against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians. Meanwhile, RCB has also continued their undefeated run and would look to continue the same in the upcoming matches.
RR vs RCB Team News
The Rajasthan Royals have been dominating on the batting front, especially with the two openers, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who have been leading the charts for them. The two openers have had their own unique roles and have been acing it individually. The Royals’ bowling unit has been in more promising form, as every bowler has found themselves amid wickets.
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On the other hand, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru are having a depleted bowling lineup; however, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya stood up on this occasion. However, their main strength lies in the power-packed batting lineup comprising Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and the India 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 Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal
Probably the most feared opening pair in the IPL. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been in sheer touch, as the 15-year-old continues his promising form. He has handed RR some solid starts as he bats with a strike rate over 250 in the powerplay. Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the other hand, is the highest scorer in this edition and has averaged 170 at the end of these three games. Jaiswal has also been batting with a powerful strike rate at the back of consecutive fifties.
Middle-order batters and All-rounders: Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, and Donovan Ferreira
Dhruv Jurel, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has a new role in the RR camp. The batter stood up for RR in their first innings against the Gujarat Titans. Jurel’s half-century showed great composure for the Indian cricketer and promised a good season in the IPL. The skipper, Parag, has not found form with the bat but has had some good starts.
Shimron Hetmyer, the West Indian aggressor, has been seen in the same role for the Royals as in previous seasons. Hetmyer will be adding the finishing touch to the innings. The batter was in promising form for the West Indies in the T20 World Cup this year. South African all-rounder Donovan Ferreira adds to the firepower, while Ravindra Jadeja adds experience to the side full of youngsters.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma
All of the Royals’ bowlers played a fine hand for them. While Jofra Archer has been bowling well with tight lines and lengths, Nandre Burger has been the highest wicket-taking seamer in the side. Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma, the two Indian pacers, have surprisingly stood up in the death overs. Ravi Bishnoi forms a spin bowling duo alongside the experienced Ravindra Jadeja.
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Donovan Ferreira, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Nandre Burger and Sandeep Sharma.
12th Player: Ravi Bishnoi
IPL 2026, Match 16: RCB Playing XI vs RR
Openers: Virat Kohli and Phil Salt
Virat Kohli, the legendary Indian batter, has amassed 8000+ runs in his IPL career and would be aiming for another promising season as he looks to extend his runs tally over the 9000 mark by the end of this season. He has formed a dynamic duo with Phil Salt, who played a fine knock in the previous game, showcasing glimpses of good form.
Middle-order batters 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 alongside the likes of Kohli or skipper Patidar. The skipper, on the other hand, has adopted a new role, as he scores runs at a very quick rate in the middle phases. This is the phase where RCB usually aims to win the battle against any opposition.
Tim David, Jitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd are a true reflection of RCB’s firepower. They have been so consistent on one side that one of the best performers in the World Cup, Jacob Bethell from England, is benched even after the team has played their first two games. Krunal Pandya not only brings experience to this bowling attack but can also step up with the bat, which was evident in one or two innings last season.
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma.
In Josh Hazlewood’s absence, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has led the RCB bowling attack while Jacob Duffy has substituted the lanky paceman from Australia and has produced a good effect with the new ball. Suyash Sharma has operated economically in the middle phases.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma.
12th Player: Devdutt Padikkal
RR vs RCB: Full Impact Players List
The Rajasthan Royals have mostly kept Ravi Bishnoi in the impact player role; however, Sooryavanshi or Donovan Ferreira can also be used as an impact player if the team starts with their bowling side. Shubham Dubey has also served as an impact player on former occasions.
RR Impact Players: Ravi Bishnoi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh and Brijesh Sharma
Devdutt Padikkal or Suyash Sharma is one of the two frontline players in the role of an impact player for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, RCB have big names like Jacob Bethell and Venkatesh Iyer, who are yet to make their way into the XI.
RCB Impact Players: Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer and Kanishk Chouhan.
