Riyan Parag will lead RR in IPL 2026 [Source: X]The 2026 IPL season is upon us, and the BCCI has officially announced the starting date and schedule for the first 20 matches, i.e., the first phase, as excitement among fans grows. The 19th edition of the world's biggest T20 league begins from March 28. The inaugural champions of the league, Rajasthan Royals, in pursuit of their second title will be embarking on a new era in the franchise's history. Riyan Parag was named as their new skipper to replace Sanju Samson, who has joined the Chennai Super Kings after a famous trade. In addition to the captaincy change, Kumar Sangakkara will also be back at the helm as their head coach after Rahul Dravid parted ways with them, following a poor 2025 season. As they begin their journey in the upcoming season on March 30, against Chennai Super Kings, here’s a look at their schedule. Rajasthan Royals IPL schedule 2026: The Royals are set to begin the 2026 season against CSK in Match 3 of the tournament. The game will be played in Guwahati, which is their home. Their primary goal will be to make a cut in the top-4 and play the playoffs, and subsequently bid for the final.In the first phase of the season, which is announced they will play four matches, out of which, three are scheduled in Guwahati.Match no.SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableTeamsSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableDate & TimeSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableVenueSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table3SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableRR vs CSKSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableMarch 30, 7:30 PMSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableGuwahatiSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table9SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableGT vs RRSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableApril 4, 7:30 PMSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableAhmedabadSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table13 SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableRR vs MISelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableApril 7, 7:30 PMSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableGuwahatiSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete Table16SelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableRR vs RCBSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableApril 10, 7:30 PMSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableGuwahatiSelectAdd Row AboveAdd Row BelowAdd Column RightAdd Column LeftDelete RowDelete ColumnDelete TableAlso Read: Watch- Vaibhav Suryavanshi Breaks Water Pipe With Massive Six During RR’s IPL PrepRajasthan Royals 2026 auction review: The Royals finished 9th on the points table in the previous season, level on points with the last-placed Chennai Super Kings. They only won four of their 14 league games and struggled to find any momentum in the season. After the poor season, they needed a complete squad overhaul, and it started with the blockbuster trade of their former captain, Sanju Samson. He was traded to CSK, while Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja were roped in from the five-time champions. Apart from that, their major focus in the auction room remained on improving their bowling department. Their costliest buy from the mini auction was leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who has previously represented the Punjab Kings and the Lucknow Super Giants. He was bought for 7.20 crores. Apart from Bishnoi, with limited overseas spots left, Adam Milne is the pacer added to the squad alongside the Indian options like Sushant Mishra, Kuldeep Sen, Yash Raj Punja and Brijesh Sharma. Mumbai Indians fame, Vignesh Puthur, is another spinner who will join the roster consisting of Jadeja and Bishnoi as the key bowlers. He will replace the likes of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga, who were released before the auction. Swashbuckling batter from Railways is another exciting addition to a rather settled batting order. Other notable releases from the previous squad include the Afghanistan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi and Akash Madhwal. Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2026: Riyan Parag(c), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Donovan Ferreira, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep Sen. Also Read: IPL 2026 Schedule Officially Out! RCB Vs SRH Slated For Season Opener In Bengaluru
