Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has backed Rajasthan Royals to make life difficult for Virat Kohli when Royal Challengers Bengaluru face RR in their IPL 2026 clash on April 10. Even though Kohli has started the season strongly, Chopra feels the Royals will turn to Sandeep Sharma as their key powerplay weapon, with the plan to break RCB’s opening momentum early.

The match has already taken on extra importance because both RR and RCB are unbeaten and sitting near the top of the table. That makes this one of the biggest early-season contests in IPL 2026. Chopra feels the Kohli-Sandeep Sharma battle could once again decide the tone of the innings.

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

ALSO READ: Faf du Plessis Reacts as Mukul Choudhary Channels MS Dhoni With Iconic Helicopter Shot

The numbers support that view. In 18 innings against Sandeep Sharma, Kohli has scored 132 runs at a strike rate of 150, while also being dismissed seven times. That record gives Rajasthan Royals a clear reason to attack the matchup with their experienced seamer in the powerplay. Kohli has scored 97 runs in two matches this season, but Sandeep has quietly remained one of RR’s most reliable bowlers, even though he has picked up only three wickets so far.

Chopra also pointed to a few other key battles that could influence the result. Rajasthan Royals’ overseas pace duo of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger is expected to test RCB’s top order with the new ball and keep the pressure on throughout the powerplay overs.

“Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger will ask tough questions with the new ball,” Aakash Chopra said. “Phil Salt scored a few runs in the last match, so the focus will be on him. Devdutt Padikkal is in dream form, and most of his runs have come against Rajasthan Royals, so that will be worth watching.”

ALSO READ: Mohammad Kaif Questions Rishabh Pant’s Responsibility After LSG Thriller vs KKR

For RCB, Devdutt Padikkal has been one of the standout performers this season, scoring back-to-back fifties at a strike rate above 200 and emerging as their leading run-scorer. Phil Salt, meanwhile, is still searching for consistency after managing 54 runs in two innings. With so many match-ups in play, the RR vs RCB IPL 2026 clash promises to be decided by who handles pressure better in the key phases.