New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) welcomed Josh Hazlewood back into the team as the Australian pacer was named in the playing XI for the first time this season in IPL 2026 Match 16 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati.
However, Hazlewood’s return to action from hamstring and Achilles injuries was delayed due to rain at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium after the RR skipper Riyan Paarag won the toss and opted to field first in their secondary home ground for the ongoing season.
The scheduled toss was delayed by an hour due to heavy rain. Ground staff did well to get the ground game-ready as soon as the rain stopped. However, just after the coin toss and just before the start of the game, rain arrived again to frustrate the fans and the players.
RR, currently at the top of the table with three wins from as many games, including two in Guwahati. Meanwhile, defending champions RCB sit third with two wins from as many matches.
One change each for both teamsBoth teams made a change each in their playing XI, with the Royals replacing Tushar Deshpande with Brijesh Sharma and the Bengaluru franchise including comeback man Hazlewood in place of Jacob Duffy.
Hazlewood was a key figure in RCB’s title-winning campaign in IPL 2025, taking 22 wickets in 12 matches to help the Challengers win a historic maiden IPL title. Despite missing his services in the first two games of the ongoing edition, RCB registered wins in both games as Hazlwood’s replacement, Jacob Duffy stepped up in the Aussie’s absence.
The previous match at this venue, between RR and the Mumbai Indians (MI), was also affected by the rain. Heavy downpour forced the match to be reduced to an 11-overs-a-side contest, which the hosts won by 27 runs.
Playing XIsRR: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma
RCB: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood
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