Rejuvenated Rajasthan Royals to face shaky Mumbai Indians:Hardik Pandya set to return, MI won 16 matches against RR

In the 13th match of IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will take on the Mumbai Indians (MI). The match is set to be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, and it will start at 7:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time). The toss will take place at 7:00 PM IST. RR has started this season with two consecutive victories against the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and 2022 winners Gujarat Titans (GT). Meanwhile, MI have lost one match against the in-form Delhi Capitals (DC) but won their campaign opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Last time, in 2025, when both teams met, Mumbai dominated Rajasthan and defeated them by 100 runs. Batting first, MI scored a huge total of 217 runs in 20 overs with the help of half-centuries from Ryan Rickelton (61) and Rohit Sharma (53). In response, RR were bundled out for 117, chasing 218 runs as Trent Boult and Karn Sharma dominated with 3 wickets each. RR vs MI, IPL 2026 match details Match info: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, match 13 Date Time: 7 April 2026, match begins at 7:30 PM IST (toss at 7 PM) Venue: Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati How to watch: JioHotstar Star Sports Network How to follow: Follow the live coverage on the Bhaskar English app RR vs MI, head-to-head record Mumbai and Rajasthan have played 31 IPL matches against each other. MI have a slight edge with 16 wins, while RR have secured 14 victories. One match between the two teams ended without a result. Consistency with bat ball, Parag’s form a concern Rajasthan Royals have maintained consistency with both bat and ball in IPL 2026, with two consecutive victories against CSK and GT. The side looks fresh and balanced with explosive starts by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Furthermore, their bowling unit also looks pretty good as Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger have been on song. For Rajasthan, Dhruv Jurel is the leading run-scorer, scoring 94 runs in two matches with a strike rate of 200. Ravi Bishnoi, on the other hand, has taken four wickets in the last two matches played, and is the leading highest wicket-taker for the franchise. He has conceded runs with an economy of 8.33. Also read: WATCH | Sanjiv Goenka gets teary-eyed after LSG’s 1st victory: Virat Kohli’s ‘no-look’ six; Nitish Reddy’s ‘Pushpa’ celebration Rohit in Orange Cap race, Hardik to play against RR The Mumbai Indians have won their campaign opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders, but faced defeat to the Delhi Capitals in their last encounter. Mumbai Indians will hope that skipper Hardik Pandya regains full fitness when they square off against a confident Rajasthan Royals. If unavailable, Suryakumar Yadav will once again step up to lead the side. For Mumbai, Rohit Sharma stands out as the leading run-scorer, with 113 runs in two matches despite losing to DC on Saturday. Lord ‘Shardul’ is the leading wicket-taker for the franchise. He has bagged 3 wickets in his two matches and conceded runs with an economy of 11.42. Rohit Sharma’s low strike rate vs Jofra Archer Rohit Sharma has been in fine form this season, currently sitting third in the Orange Cap race with 113 runs from just two matches. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals’ pacer Jofra Archer has managed only two wickets in his last two outings. In the past, Rohit has struggled against Archer in T20 cricket, maintaining a strike rate of just 100. He has scored only 34 runs off 34 balls against the English pacer, who has dismissed him three times while keeping an impressive economy rate of 6.00. Barsapara Cricket Stadium, pitch report The Barsapara Cricket Stadium pitch, made of red soil, is expected to have some moisture due to overcast conditions. With boundary sizes of 61m and 70m on the square and 74m straight, the ground offers a fair balance between bat and ball, giving both batters and bowlers a chance to make an impact. So, the team winning the toss should likely field first as per the condition. Guwahati weather report On Tuesday night, as per the Accuweather report, the weather is expected to be a low of 18° with partly cloudy skies and a chance of thunderstorms in some areas. The wind will be from the north at 7 km/h, with gusts up to 26 km/h. There is a 40% probability of precipitation, with an expected rainfall of 0.2 mm. The chance of thunderstorms is 24%.