CSK vs RR: Top Players To Watch As IPL 2026 Comes To Guwahati's Barsapara Stadium

16 seasons, 6 playoffs, and just one trophy under their name. The irony? The only silverware they lifted was back in 2008 in the inaugural season under Shane Warne. Now, Riyan Parag is ready to take charge at the Guwahati’s ACA/Barsapara Stadium. Last year, Riyan Parag led the side in eight games but his campaign wasn’t successful as the skipper. He managed to claim just 2 victories last year. Now, the local boy, Parag, is back at his home turf, Guwahati after the Sawai Man Singh Stadium has been sealed over unpaid dues and MoU violations. The Barsapara Stadium carries a unique identity with itself.

Few would guess, looking at the gleaming stadium today, that the land beneath it was once a dumping ground marshy, waste-strewn, and largely forgotten. Over the years, the site passed through several proposed identities. It was at one point earmarked for an SOS Village FIFA Goal Project and also considered as a potential home for what was tentatively called the Gopinath Bordoloi Stadium. None of these plans came to fruition, and the land continued to languish in disuse.

It was only in the late 1990’s that the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) realized that it need a home ground of its own. For decades, whenever the state hosted international fixtures, the Assam Cricket Association had to rely entirely on Nehru Stadium, a multi-purpose venue originally conceived by the legendary Radha Govinda Baruah. The then ACA president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and secretary Nandan Bezbaruah identified a dormant plot near the All Assam Tennis Association Complex in Chanchal as a potential home for a dedicated cricket facility for Assam. A foundation stone was laid and even the work began. But later the initiative ground to a halt.

The turning point arrived after the ACA elections held at Bongaigaon in 2002. A new governing body set its sights on the Barsapara site. The foundation stone was eventually laid in 2004 by then Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, in June 2004. Other local champions of the cause included West Guwahati MLA Ramednra Narayan Kalita, panter Sobha Brahma, and other groups of sports enthusiasts. All these were advocating for this dumping ground to be repurposed as a sports facility. It was an abandoned site of the SOS village FIFA goal project, and the ACA wasted no time in claiming it. 59 bighas were allotted by the ACA, and the construction to build the stadium started in 2006, although the challenges were formidable.

Encroachments had multiplied over the years, and an entire unauthorised settlement had developed. Informally known as Rajiv Nagar, it had taken root on the premises. Even as earth-filling work began with assistance from former Ranji cricketer Kamal Das, illegal settlers kept encroaching further inward. The ACA took the matter to court, and in 2009, the Gauhati High Court ruled in their favour. With the district administration lending its support, nearly all encroachments were cleared, and construction work could finally resume with purpose and momentum.

The foundation stone for the stadium was laid by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on June 13, 2004, with a second stone laid on July 19, 2007, for the clubhouse and a stand, this time in the presence of then-BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah. Funding came primarily from the BCCI, and the overall cost eventually climbed well past the initial estimate of Rs 100 crore. Multiple agencies contributed to the construction. The architectural vision was entrusted to Sashi Prabhu and his firm, while Surjyaa Construction and Lloyd Insulations handled other aspects of the build. The outfield and wickets were developed by Klorofyll under Jaysimha Dutta, with celebrated curator Daljit Singh overseeing the preparation of the sand-based outfield. Assam's own curators: Ratul Das, Barsamangal Baruah, and later Mukut Kalita, played a crucial role in preparing the seven wickets that were laid. The soil for the pitches was sourced from Andhra Pradesh, while the outfield grass was imported from Australia.

The stadium hosted its first official game on November 4, 2012, when Assam faced Odisha in the East Zone Senior Women's One Day Championship. Ranji Trophy matches were followed during the 2013-14 season. The ground's international debut came on October 10, 2017, when India faced Australia in a T20 International, a match inaugurated by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Much of the credit for securing Test status for the venue has been directed at BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, whose efforts proved decisive in bringing this historic honour to his home state. As Guwahati stands on the cusp of its first Test match, the ACA Stadium's story serves as a powerful reminder of what sustained belief and a willingness to fight through legal battles, bureaucratic delays, and physical obstacles can ultimately produce. Now, from the past two seasons, the ACA/Barsapara Stadium has been serving as the home ground for the Rajasthan Royals, and in today’s game against the Chennai Super Kings, here are the top 5 players who can create an impact from the Rajasthan Royals.

Coming afresh after claiming the title of “Man of the tournament” at the 2026 Under-19 cricket World Cup, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is back in action to claim the title for the Royals this year. Although last year, Suryavanshi had been silent with the bat. He smashed 252 runs in 7 games, including that 101-run knock against the Gujarat Titans. The Indian prodigy smashed 439 runs in seven innings during the World Cup campaign this year, and after the win, Suryavanshi will be taking the field with high expectations.

Across 67 IPL matches, Jaiswal has accumulated 2,166 runs at a batting average of 34.38 and a strike rate of 152.86, with a highest score of 124. Those numbers only tell part of the story. In IPL 2025, he amassed 559 runs in 14 matches to finish as his team's leading run-scorer, continuing a remarkable trajectory that has seen him grow from a teenage sensation to one of the most feared openers in the format. He holds the record for the fastest IPL half-century by an Indian, scored in just 13 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023. Heading into IPL 2026, Jaiswal enters the season in fine domestic form, having scored a century for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025/26. As RR's explosive left-handed opener, he will look to set the tone immediately against CSK's bowling attack. If he fires early, RR's middle order has the platform it needs to post a challenging total.

There is a lovely symmetry to Jadeja's story heading into this game. His move from Chennai Super Kings to Rajasthan Royals marks a full-circle moment. RR gave him the nickname "Rockstar" back in 2008 under Shane Warne's captaincy, and now, 18 years later, he returns as a decorated champion. In IPL 2025, he produced his best batting season ever, scoring over 300 runs for the first time in his IPL career while also claiming 10 wickets. He is now just 15 runs away from 4,000 career T20 runs, and is on course to become only the second Indian, after Hardik Pandya, to complete the double of 4,000 runs and 200 wickets in T20 cricket. Beyond the stats, his experience, calmness under pressure, and ability to change a game across all three departments make him RR's most complete cricketer.

This match carries a deeply personal significance for Riyan Parag. The RR captain leads his team in his home city, with the Guwahati crowd ready to turn the stadium pink behind him. He finished as the second-highest run-scorer for RR in IPL 2025 with 393 runs, striking at 166.52 and hitting 27 sixes. He also etched his name in IPL history by becoming the first player ever to hit six consecutive sixes across different overs. His breakthrough season was 2024, when he scored 573 runs, the most by any RR batter that season, and finished third on the Orange Cap list. Now entrusted with the full captaincy for IPL 2026, Parag carries the added responsibility of leading from the front. Playing in Guwahati, where the crowd knows his name and his journey, could either be a weight or a wind beneath his wings, judging by recent form, it is likely to be the latter.

Few cricketers have had a more injury-disrupted story in the IPL than Jofra Archer, which makes his continued presence at this level all the more remarkable. In IPL 2020, he picked up 20 wickets at a strike rate of 16.70 and was named the tournament's MVP, a performance that illustrated just how destructive he can be at his best. In IPL 2025, he took 11 wickets in 12 matches before a thumb injury cut short his season. Across his IPL career spanning 52 matches, he has taken 59 wickets at an average of 27.15. Known for his express pace, sharp bouncers, and calm temperament under pressure, Archer has shown clear signs of rhythm and renewed confidence. There is also a compelling individual subplot in tonight's fixture: Archer has dismissed Sanju Samson three times in six T20 innings, making that a battle well worth watching. If the pitch offers any assistance to pace bowlers, Archer will be the most dangerous cricketer on the field.

Top 5 players for Chennai Super Kings who can create an impact today

This is one of the most emotionally charged storylines of IPL 2026. Samson has traded his RR pink for CSK yellow, with Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran heading in the other direction, making him CSK's most significant and expensive acquisition in years. Across 177 IPL matches, Samson has scored 4,704 runs at an average of 30.95, including three centuries and 26 half-centuries. He arrives in this fixture carrying extraordinary momentum, he amassed 321 runs at a strike rate of 199.37 across just five innings in the 2026 T20 World Cup, winning the Player of the Tournament award with three successive match-winning fifties in the knockout stages. His strike rate, which had dipped to 132 in IPL 2025, will need to bounce back to his 2022–24 levels (156-162) if CSK are to fix their long-standing powerplay problems. Playing against his former franchise and former home ground, Samson has said he won't let emotions cloud his cricket, but this match will define the tone for his new chapter.

Since his debut in 2020, Gaikwad has amassed 2,502 runs in 71 matches, including two centuries and 20 half-centuries, at a batting average of over 40, making him the undisputed backbone of CSK's batting order. Among batters with at least 2,000 IPL runs, only KL Rahul and David Warner boast better averages than his 40.35. The concern heading into IPL 2026 is fitness. His 2025 season was exceptional with 583 runs at an average of 53, but an elbow injury cut it short after just five matches. His return knock of an unbeaten 184 in the Duleep Trophy signals he is back and hungry. If Gaikwad fires tonight, CSK wins.

Dube has quietly become one of CSK's most indispensable assets since joining them in 2022, and tonight he faces his biggest challenge, restoring his best form after a difficult 2025. His most productive season in CSK colours was 2023, when he scored 418 runs at a strike rate of 158.33 as part of their title-winning campaign. Across 79 IPL matches, he has accumulated 1,859 runs with a career strike rate of 143.66, among the best for Indian middle-order batters. However, his strike rate dropped to just 132 in 2025, largely because CSK's top-order struggles forced him into an unfamiliar innings-building role rather than his natural game of hitting freely. His redemption arrived on the global stage, where he scored 235 runs at a strike rate of 169.06 in the 2026 T20 World Cup, hitting 17 sixes across eight innings. With Samson now expected to stabilise the top order, Dube can revert to the aggressive, boundary-hitting role that made him such a menacing CSK weapon in 2022 and 2023.

New Zealand's experienced pace spearhead Matt Henry returns to CSK, where he was a spare bowler in 2015, now as a genuine first-choice overseas seamer, signed for ₹2 crore ahead of IPL 2026. His IPL record is limited, but his international pedigree is substantial. In the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Henry was the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 10 scalps in just four matches, including a devastating 5/42 against India in the league stage. He was also a key part of New Zealand's bowling attack at the 2026 T20 World Cup final, even as they fell to India in Ahmedabad. Bowling consistently over 140kph and preferring to pitch it up, Henry's ability to generate swing and seam movement makes him particularly dangerous with the new ball. On a Guwahati surface that is expected to offer some early movement for pacers, Henry could be CSK's most important weapon in the opening overs tonight.

Like Ashwin, Pathirana will not be lining up for CSK tonight. CSK released the Sri Lankan speedster ahead of IPL 2026 after deliberating over his future, he now plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders. His departure marks a significant shift for CSK's identity. Pathirana burst onto the IPL scene in 2023, picking 19 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 8.01 with his slingy yorkers as CSK lifted the title. But form and fitness became persistent concerns, in IPL 2025 he took 13 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 10.13, and CSK head coach Stephen Fleming suspected that changes to his release point by Sri Lanka Cricket were affecting his effectiveness. Across his three seasons with CSK, Pathirana took 47 wickets in 32 matches at an average of 21.61, numbers that, at his best, made him arguably the most exciting young death bowler in the tournament. Tonight, his absence will be felt on the CSK side, and Matt Henry will need to shoulder the new-ball responsibility he once shared.