Summary of this article
Rajasthan Royals won toss, elected to bowl against Chennai Super Kings
Riyan Parag said moisture in wicket was reason behind decision
Ruturaj Gaikwad said he would have bowled first too, had he won the toss
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag's decision to bowl first after winning the toss against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was a straightforward one. The third match of Indian Premier League 2026 saw rain pouring down in the lead-up to the toss, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Monday (March 30, 2026).
With the overcast conditions and the dampness in the pitch, both captains promptly stated that putting the opposition in was the way to go. Parag said at the toss to former India spinner Murali Kartik: "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."
His seamers did exactly that in the powerplay, reducing CSK to 19 for three in the fourth over. The Chennai-based franchise had to bring in impact substitute Sarfaraz Khan for Ayush Mhatre, in what was one of the earliest instances of a switch.
ALSO READ: RR Vs CSK Live Score
Meanwhile, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had no qualms in admitting that the toss could play a big role in the match. "It was a no-brainer to bowl first. The wicket has been under the covers for a long time now, with overcast conditions as well, so we would have loved to bowl first, but nevertheless, we'll look to start positively."
Parag said that leading RR was "very overwhelming". He added, "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 being 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."
Gaikwad said that having a lot of youth in the squad was not something which CSK decided "at the start of the cycle". He added: "We saw how the last year really went for us, so we thought we'll go into the auction with a strategy. What are the best options that are available and buy them into the team and the culture and hope it works."
RR Vs CSK, IPL 2026: Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact subs: Sarfaraz Khan, Prashant Veer, Rahul Chahar, Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma
Impact subs: Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Sushant Mishra, Tushar Deshpande
Why is MS Dhoni not playing RR vs CSK match?
MS Dhoni is not playing RR vs CSK match because of a a calf strain injury.
Who was the impact player used by CSK in the IPL 2026 match?
Sarfaraz Khan came in for Ayush Mhatre as impact substitute in the RR vs CSK, IPL 2026 match.
Why did Riyan Parag decide to bowl first against CSK?
Riyan Parag elected to bowl first in the IPL 2026 match against CSK due to the overcast conditions and the pitch being covered for an extended period before the toss.
