Virat Kohli’s biggest RR nightmare revealed ahead of Guwahati blockbuster in IPL 2026

As the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) gear up to face the Rajasthan Royals in the 16th IPL 2026 match on April 10 in Guwahati, the former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has made a bold remark on the battle between Virat Kohli and Sandeep Sharma.

Chopra believes that the Virat Kohli vs Sandeep Sharma battle could decide the fate of this high-voltage clash between the RCB and RR since both teams are in red-hot form and have not lost any games so far this season. While RR leads the points table with 6 points, RCB ranks third with 4 points.

Aakash Chopra picks Sandeep Sharma as Virat Kohli’s toughest RR threat

Ahead of the RR vs RCB clash in Guwahati, Aakash Chopra highlighted Virat Kohli’s struggles against Sandeep. The Indian batting superstar might have been ruling the IPL and even is the all-time leading run scorer, but his numbers against the pacer are not impressive at all.

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Sandeep dismissed the dashing right-hander seven times so far in their IPL meetings. Kohli managed only 132 runs at a strike rate of 150 and at an average of around 19.

The commentator pointed out that Virat Kohli loves timing fast bowlers, but Sandeep’s slower and skiddy deliveries make things tough for him. Given that, Chopra feels their battle will be enthralling to watch; look out for the fans in Guwahati on Friday.

Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “Sandeep Sharma vs Virat Kohli again is a story because he (Kohli) doesn't have very good numbers against him (Sandeep). The strike rate is decent, but the numbers aren't excellent. He doesn't like playing Sandeep Sharma because he doesn't provide pace.”

RR’s new-ball fire vs RCB’s in-form batters

Chopra also mentioned other key battles to watch out for in the upcoming IPL 2026 clash. He believes the new ball will play a massive role, so Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, and Devdutt Padikkal will decide the RCB’s fate as Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger are on fire.

The cricket pandit added, “Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger will ask tough questions with the new ball. Phil Salt scored a few runs in the last match. So, the focus will be on him. Devdutt Padikkal is in dream form. His most runs have come against RR. So that will be worth watching.”

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Can Vaibhav Sooryavanshi destroy RCB’s attack too?

Chopra is excited to see how Rajasthan Royals’ 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will deal with RCB’s attack featuring Jacob Duffy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, the youngster has already smashed world-class bowlers like Matt Henry, Jasprit Bumrah, and Trent Boult without a hint of fear.

And the commentator said, “Once again, Vaibhav vs the opposition bowlers. A lot of focus will be on him. Will he do it to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy now? That's the big question.”

Aakash Chopra highlights RCB’s weakest link

Chopra also issued a realistic warning to the defending champions against the Royals. He admitted that RCB might have the strongest batting lineup in the IPL 2026, but their bowling can land them in trouble in Guwahati.

He signed off by saying, “RCB are the most explosive team in this league. Everyone keeps hitting from No. 1 to No. 8 or No. 9. It can be very difficult to stop that team, but if they have a weakness, they reduce the opposing team to 29/3 or whatever, but then they score 200. If RCB has a concern, bowling has often looked slightly under pressure.”