IPL 2026 RR vs CSK 3rd Match Each Team Best Playing 11
With Ruturaj and Sanju as openers, explore the RR vs CSK match 3 both teams best playing 11 for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
After a blockbuster start to IPL 2026 via SRH vs RCB, it’s time for the Men in Pink to face the Men in Yellow as they face each other in match 3 of TATA IPL 2026. While CSK will see the return of Ruturaj Gaikwad as the Captain of the CSK team after missing the last season due to injury, RR will see a new full-time Captain in the form of Riyan Parag, who will take over the Captaincy shoes from Sanju Samson, who has now moved to the CSK team.
Both teams were involved in a major trade deal ahead of the season. While Sanju Samson moved to the CSK team, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were moved to the RR team. This was one of the most intriguing deals of the season, and CSK got Sanju Samson as a part of transiton from MS Dhoni. Whereas RR got two All-rounders, as they didn’t have any quality All-rounder in the side.
Aside from the trade deals, the CSK and RR continued buying solid players during the Auction. While CSK added youngsters like Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, and others, RR strengthened their lower-order and bowling by adding the likes of Deonovan Ferreira, Ravi Bishnoi, and others. With Riyan and Ruturaj now at the centre stage, it will be interesting to see how both kick off the season with the match being played at the alternate home for RR, Guwahati.
Key Match Details
Tournament: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026
Match Details: RR vs CSK 3rd Match
Where: Guwahati
When: March 30, 2026, 7:30 pm IST
The Guwahati pitch has traditionally been a high-scoring affair, but that doesn’t discount the bowlers. The last encounter on this ground was also an RR vs CSK affair. RR, once again, had Riyan Parag at the helm, and they comfortably defeated CSK by 5 runs, after scoring 180 runs in the first innings. For CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad batted well, but with less support from other batters, CSK couldn’t chase the target. Expect similar scenes for the 3rd match, and here’s how the playing 11 for RR vs CSK looks for IPL 2026.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Complete Squad List for IPL 2026 Post Auction
Batters
- Aman Rao
- Shimron Hetmyer (OS)
- Shubham Dubey
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
Wicket-keepers
- Dhruv Jurel
- Donovan Ferreira (OS)
- Lhuan de Pretorius (OS)
- Ravi Singh
All-rounders
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Riyan Parag
- Dasun Shanaka (OS)
Bowlers
- Adam Milne (OS)
- Brijesh Sharma
- Jofra Archer (OS)
- Kuldeep Sen
- Kwena Maphaka (OS)
- Nandre Burger (OS)
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Sandeep Sharma
- Sushant Mishra
- Tushar Deshpande
- Vignesh Puthur
- Yash Punja
- Yudhvir Charak
The Rajasthan Royals team suffered a big blow when Sam Curran was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. The team added Dasun Shanaka, but Sam Curran solved their bowling All-rounder problem, which is still missing, as Dasun Shanaka is a batting All-rounder. However, with Dasun in, RR’s batting gets stronger, while bowling becomes slightly weaker. Also, since RR are now short of a good bowler, they don’t have any other option but to play Nandre Burger as the third pacer in this side.
So, expect RR to play Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, and Nandre Burger as the pacers, with a couple of overs from Dasun Shanaka. Whereas Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi will be the key spinners in the side. In terms of batting, Jaiswal and Suryavanshi should open the batting, and Riyan Parag, under his own Captaincy should play at number 3. The rest of the batting lineup should comprise Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, and Dasun Shanaka.
IPL 2026 RR vs CSK Match 3 Best Playing 11 for Rajasthan Royals
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi
- Riyan Parag (c)
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Dhruv Jurel (wk)
- Donovan Ferreira
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shubham Dubey
- Jofra Archer
- Sandeep Sharma
- Ravi Bishnoi
Best Impact Player: Nandre Burger
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Complete Squad List for IPL 2026 Post Auction
Batters
- Ayush Mhatre
- Dewald Brevis (OS)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)
- Sarfaraz Khan
Wicket-keepers
- Kartik Sharma
- MS Dhoni
- Sanju Samson
- Urvil Patel
All-rounders
- Aman Khan
- Anshul Kamboj
- Jamie Overton (OS)
- Matthew Short (OS)
- Prashant Veer
- Shivam Dube
- Zak Foulkes (OS)
Bowlers
- Akeal Hosein (OS)
- Gurjapneet Singh
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Matt Henry (OS)
- Mukesh Choudhary
- Spencer Johnson (OS)
- Noor Ahmad (OS)
- Rahul Chahar
- Ramkrishna Ghosh
- Shreyas Gopal
The Chennai Super Kings will be without the services of MS Dhoni, who seems to have a calf strain, and will be sidelined for at least two weeks. With MS Dhoni not there, the playing 11 for sure will see quite a few changes. The return of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who missed the previous season, and the addition of Sanju Samson make the batting stronger for CSK as compared to last season.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has confirmed that he will open the batting with Sanju Samson, which means Ayush Mhatre should mostly play at 3. However, given the form Urvil Patel is in, there is a high possibility he may displace Mhatre, if not now, may be later in the tournament. Meanwhile, Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube should take care of finishing duties, whereas Sarfaraz Khan, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, and Jamie Overton will give solid batting till 9.
IPL 2026 RR vs CSK Match 3 Best Playing 11 for Chennai Super Kings
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (c)
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Ayush Mhatre
- Kartik Sharma
- Dewald Brevis
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Shivam Dube
- Prashant Veer
- Jamie Overton
- Matt Henry
- Noor Ahmad
Best Impact Player: Khaleel Ahmed
The bowling lineup now looks weak for the Chennai Super Kings, with Nathan Ellis not there. So, Matt Henry should lead the pace duties for CSK, with support from Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, and Jamie Overton. Whereas Prashant Veer and Noor Ahmad should complete the rest of the bowling attack. The bowling definitely looks weak for CSK, with a lack of a good third pacer, and not a good fifth and sixth bowling option.
Thanks for reading! What’s your best playing 11 for the RR vs CSK Match 3 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com
