Match Report – IPL 2026, Match 16: RR vs RCB – Sooryavanshi's 78 off 26 Balls Leads Guwahati Chase

RR vs RCB – Match 16, TATA IPL 2026

ACA Stadium, Guwahati | 10 April 2026

Result: Rajasthan Royals won (chased 202 with 2 overs to spare)

Toss & Context

After a rain delay in Guwahati, RR skipper Riyan Parag opted to bowl first. The decision was quickly vindicated as Jofra Archer sent Phil Salt packing for a golden duck with a cracking delivery.

RCB Innings: 201/8 (20 overs)

Despite the early blow, Virat Kohli (32 off 16) and Devdutt Padikkal counter-attacked powerfully. Archer dismissed Padikkal (14) before Ravi Bishnoi's double strike – Kohli and Krunal Pandya – left RCB reeling at 62/4.

Captain Rajat Patidar then played a textbook anchor-turned-aggressor innings. His 63 off 40 balls (4 sixes) was the backbone of the RCB total. Tim David and Jitesh Sharma fell cheaply, but Venkatesh Iyer's blistering 29* off 15 balls in the death – including two sixes in the final over – propelled the total past 200 to finish at 201/8. Bishnoi (2/32) and Archer (2/33) were RR's best.

RR Innings: Chased 202 in 18 overs

RR needed a flying start and they got precisely that. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, just days after laying waste to Bumrah, now targeted Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He hammered a combined four fours and three sixes off their two opening powerplay overs. His 15-ball half-century – his second of the season – left gap-identification secondary to sheer power. Dhruv Jurel (steady early contribution) helped RR reach a staggering 97/1 after six overs.

Sooryavanshi was finally dismissed for a magnificent 78 off 26 balls (8 fours, 7 sixes), caught by Virat Kohli off Krunal Pandya. Krunal then removed Shimron Hetmyer for a golden duck in the same over, and Hazlewood brought back Riyan Parag (3 off 5) to leave RR suddenly wobbling at 134/4.

But RR's batting depth proved the difference. Ravindra Jadeja (24*) played a composed hand, and Dhruv Jurel took it upon himself to finish the job, bringing up his fifty off 25 deliveries before finishing unbeaten on 81 off 43 balls to guide RR home with two overs to spare.

Player of the Match: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (78 off 26)

Key Stats

RR's Perfect Start Continues

With four wins from four outings, RR have made only the third time in IPL history that a team has started a season with four consecutive victories. They lead the points table with eight points and a stellar net run rate. The Royals look every inch of champions-in-waiting.