IPL 2026: As the IPL mini auction approaches, all the franchises are keeping a close eye on the shortcomings of their team. Many teams have released weak performing players and now their eyes are on such options who can change the course of the match in the next season. Amidst these discussions, the player on whom the headlines have focused the most is New Zealand’s young star Rachin Ravindra.

The decision that Chennai Super Kings took by surprise before the upcoming season was the release of Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Mathisha Pathirana. Rachin proved useful for CSK on many occasions last season, but the team management has now sent him back to the auction pool. However, this release does not seem to have any impact on his value, in fact now at least three big teams seem ready to compete for Rachin in the mini auction.

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR has made surprising big changes this time. The team released big names like Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, after which they have around Rs 64.30 crore in their purse. In such a situation, the team is looking for a player who can score fast runs in the powerplay and also bowl overs when needed. Rachin Ravindra is considered a perfect fit for both these roles. KKR will not shy away from bidding big on Rachin to stabilize the opening.

Delhi Capitals

This was the biggest headache for Delhi Capitals last season. lean Startup. Except for Jake Fraser-McGurk, the rest of the batsmen continuously flopped in the powerplay. Rachin Ravindra’s biggest strength is his ability to play big shots in the powerplay. 26 year old Ravindra is known for his strong batting on the new ball. This is the reason why DC is considering him as the solution to their opening batting problem.

Chennai Super Kings: Eyes fixed even after release

Although CSK has released Rachin, there is a possibility that the franchise will try to buy him again at a lower price. The reasons for this are also clear:

After the trade of Jadeja and Sam Curran, CSK is lacking all-rounders.

The team needs such players who can strengthen the batting along with spin option. In such a situation, Rachin can again be a strong contender for the Super Kings.

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Today, two lost teams will clash in IPL 2025. Yes, both these teams had to face defeat in their first match this season. Now today one of the two teams will open the victory account. We are talking about Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.

This match between Rajasthan and Kolkata will be played at Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Ryan Parag captained Rajasthan Royals in the first match. However, Sanju was played as a Samson Impact Player. Today you can lead the pollen team against KKR, and Samson can play as Impact Player. KKR had to face defeat against RCB, while Rajasthan was defeated by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Pitch report

The pitch of Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati is suitable for batsmen. However, the fast bowlers here are also very effective with the new ball. It has been seen difficult to chase here in T20. Due to the new rules of IPL, dew is not so influenced. In such a situation, the team winning the toss can decide to bat first.

Head to head

There has been a strong competition in the IPL between Rajasthan and Kolkata so far. If Rajasthan has won 14 matches, then only 14 matches have been won by Kolkata. There is also a super over between the two. Last season was a high scoring match between the two teams. At the Eden Gardens then Rajasthan achieved the target of 224 runs against KKR.

Match prediction

Our match is the Prediction Meter saying that Kolkata Knight Riders have a huge upper hand in this match. KKR’s team looks more balanced than Rajasthan. The pitch is new for both. In such a situation, Rajasthan will not be able to get home advantage.

Rajasthan Royals potential playing XI- Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Ryan Parag (Captain), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurael (wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Mahesh Thikshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma and Fazlhak Farooqui

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Potential Playing XI- Quinton Dickock (wicketkeeper), Sunil Naren, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson/Enerich Nortze, Varun Chakraborty and Vaibhav Arora.