In a usual sequence of Test matches, lunch breaks are taken before Tea. But that won’t be the case for the second Test of the upcoming series against South Africa to be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati from November 22. Due to the early sunrise and sunset in the eastern part of the country, the timings of the red-ball clash have been tweaked for the smooth conduct of the game.

The first session of the five-day encounter between India and South Africa will be from 9 am to 11 am, followed by the Tea session from 11 am to 11:30 am. The second session will take place till 1:20 pm, after which the lunch break will be from 1:20 pm to 2 pm. The third and final session of the clash will be played till 4 pm, apart from the extra 30 minutes to complete the 90 overs of the scheduled day.

See Also: [WATCH] KL Rahul recalls Rahul Dravid's reaction after his century celebration in Asia Cup 2023

"The reason to have early Tea is that Guwahati witnesses early sunset, and there is an early start too. This will be the first time we have decided to change the Tea session, as time will be saved to get extra game time on the field.” The source was revealed as quoted by the Indian Express.

IND vs SA 2nd Test in Guwahati to begin 30 minutes earlier than traditional start

In normal circumstances, the Test matches begin at 9:30 in the morning in India and have 40 minutes of lunch at the start. The start time varies from one country to another, like England, which begins its Test matches at 11 am due to having long days in its summer. Most of the team follows their traditional lunch-tea breaks during the red-ball contests.

Both Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have mutually decided to change the timing. In the past, the Indian board changed its session periods in the Ranji Trophy games to factor in the early sunset situation.

It’s expected to be the same situation with the lights during the opening Test at the Eden Gardens. However, no change in timing has been made for the opener.

New Zealand Women (NZ W) will take on Bangladesh Women (BAN W) in the 11th Match of the ICC Women’s  World Cup 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati at 3:00 PM IST on Friday, October 10. The Sophie Devine led side has had a tough start to their campaign, losing their first two matches against Australia then South Africa. Despite an impressive squad, the White Ferns currently sit seventh on the table and are in need of a first win.

Conversely, Bangladesh Women led by Nigar Sultan, are also in a must-win situation after their mixed bag of results in the two opening fixtures. After one win and one defeat, they currently sit fifth in the tournament. Bangladesh will be hoping to capitalize on New Zealand's poor form, to be able to gain. The fixture promises to hel a close contest, with both sides looking to pull their campaigns back on track while hoping to remain in contention for the tournament's semi-finals.

NZ W vs BAN W: Head-to-Head Record (ODIs)

New Zealand holds a clear edge over Bangladesh in their previous ODI encounters.

• Matches Played: 4
• NZ-W Won: 2
• BAN-W Won: 0
• No Result: 2

NZ-W vs BAN-W: Stadium Stats (ODIs)

The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati normally has good to balanced conditions for both batters and bowlers in different phases of the game.

• Total Matches: 6
• Matches won batting first: 2
• Matches won bowling first: 4
• Average 1st Innings Score: 210
• Average 2nd Innings Score: 191
• Highest Total: 373/7 (50 overs) by IND vs SL
• Lowest Total: 50/10 (30.4 overs) by ENG-W vs IND-W
• Highest Successful Chase: 326/2 (42.1 overs) by IND vs WI
• Lowest Total Defended: 269/8 (47 overs) by IND-W vs SL-W

See Also: ICC Women's World Cup 2025: When 90s hit harder than 100s: Dhoni, Rahul & Richa’s unforgettable world cup knocks

NZ-W vs BAN-W: Predicted Playing XIs

New Zealand Women (NZ-W): Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (C), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (WK), Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Bree Illing

Bangladesh Women (BAN-W): Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (WK/C), Sobhana Mostary, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Shanjida Akter Meghla

Women’s World Cup 2025: Points Table

After the completion of ten matches, the updated points table is as follows:

England Women (ENG-W) will face Bangladesh Women (BAN-W) in Match No. 8 of the ICC Women’s  World Cup 2025 will take place at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, October 7, at 3:00 PM IST. Both teams come into this encounter off the back of confidence-boosting wins in their opening fixtures. England Women defeated South Africa at a canter by 10 wickets, while Bangladesh Women beat Pakistan by seven wickets in their first match. 

Both teams are currently in third and fourth place in the points table, separated by Net Run Rate, it promises to be an exciting tournament as both teams will be seeking to extend their winning forms and enhance their chances of qualification for the semi-finals. England and Bangladesh have only played one previous One-Day International against each other, which the England team won by 100 runs.

ENG-W vs BAN-W: Head-to-Head Record (ODIs)

England dominate the head-to-head record, having won their only previous encounter.

• Matches Played: 1
• ENG-W Won: 1
• BAN-W Won: 0
• No Result: 0

ENG-W vs BAN-W: Stadium Stats (ODIs)

The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati generally offers balanced conditions, assisting both batters and bowlers at different stages of the game.

• Total Matches: 5
• Matches won batting first: 2
• Matches won bowling first: 3
• Average 1st Innings Score: 216
• Average 2nd Innings Score: 193
• Highest Total: 373/7 (50 overs) by IND vs SL
• Lowest Total: 50/10 (30.4 overs) by ENG-W vs IND-W
• Highest Successful Chase: 326/2 (42.1 overs) by IND vs WI
• Lowest Total Defended: 269/8 (47 overs) by IND-W vs SL-W

See Also: Top 3 reasons why New Zealand-W lost to South Africa-W in the Women's World Cup 2025 match 7

ENG-W vs BAN-W: Predicted Playing XIs

England Women (ENG-W): Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (WK), Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (C), Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.

Bangladesh Women (BAN-W): Fargana Hoque, Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (WK/C), Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi.

Women’s World Cup 2025: Points Table

After the completion of seven matches, the points table looks like this.

India Women (IND-W) are set to face Sri Lanka Women (SL-W) in the opening match of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, September 30, at 3:00 PM IST. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with India hosting most of the games while Sri Lanka will host the fixtures of Pakistan.

India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, is coming into this ICC tournament having had a mixed bag in their warm-up matches prior to the event. They lost by 153 runs to England but bounced back hard with a four-wicket win against New Zealand. Being a home team and having a great balanced squad, India will look to start off hot and build momentum. 

On the other hand, Sri Lanka has had a rough buildup to the tournament. Their warm-up match against Pakistan was washed out due to the rain and then they lost a nail-biter to Bangladesh, losing by one wicket under a tough run chase. Chamari Athapaththu, their captain, will be crucial in flipping Sri Lanka's fortunes, while Sri Lanka will be looking to get a win against the hosts in this opening round.

IND-W vs SL-W: Head-to-Head Record (ODIs)

India Women dominate the rivalry against Sri Lanka Women in the 50-over format.

• Matches Played: 35
• India-W Won: 31
• Sri Lanka-W Won: 3
• No Result: 1

IND-W vs SL-W: Stadium Stats (ODIs)

The Barsapara Cricket Stadium is generally regarded as a high-scoring venue, and with the highest successful ODI run chase here being 326 runs (by India against West Indies), it is interesting to note that out of the three ODIs staged here, two have been won by teams bowling first. 

• Total matches: 3
• Matches won batting first: 1
• Matches won bowling first: 2
• Average score for the first innings: 248
• Average score for the second innings: 227
• Highest total: 373/7 (50 overs) by IND v SL
• Lowest total: 50/10 (30.4 overs) by ENG-W v IND-W
• Highest successful run chase: 326/2 (42.1 overs) by IND v WI
• Lowest total defended: 373/7 (50 overs) by IND v SL

See Also: 'YES, THE RUMOURS ARE TRUE!' – Jasprit Bumrah drops cryptic post after Asia Cup 2025 triumph

IND-W vs SL-W: Predicted Playing XIs

India Women (IND-W): Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur

Sri Lanka Women (SL-W): Hasini Perera, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Kavisha Dilhari, Dewmi Vihanga, Piumi Wathsala, Achini Kulasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Malki Madara

Match 11 of the IPL 2025 will be staged at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, where the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will go head-to-head on March 30, 2025, at 7:30 PM IST.

Stadium Overview and Stats:

The Barsapara Cricket Stadium, also called the ACA Stadium, is the freshest amphitheatre for IPL that has gained a fandom for high-scoring games in an incredibly short period of time. Over there, the track is always quite friendly to the batsmen by offering an absolutely accurate bounce with a good stroke-play surface. In spite of that, the later part of the day presents the chance for the spinners to make the ball turn and play an influential role in the middle overs. Another factor that decides the outcome of the match is the dew formed in the second period of a day/night game, which leads to a preference for the chasing side by a good margin. This in turn could play an important part in the captain's call for the toss.

• Total IPL Matches Played: 5 
• Batting 1st Won: 2
• Batting 2nd Won: 3
• Average 1st Innings Score: 172
• Average 2nd Innings Score: 158
• Highest IPL Score: 199/4 (by Rajasthan Royals)
• Lowest IPL Score: 142/9 all out (by Rajasthan Royals )
• Highest Chased: 153/2 (by KKR)
• Lowest Defended: 197/4 (by PBKS) 

Also Read: IPL 2025: RR vs. CSK- A head-to-head breakdown

Weather Report: 

• The weather forecast for Chennai indicates clear skies with temperatures around 30-32°C during match hours.
• Humidity levels are expected to be high, which is typical for Chennai evenings.
• No rainfall is anticipated, ensuring an uninterrupted game.

Also Read: IPL 2025: DC vs SRH - A head-to-head breakdown

Pitch Report:

• The Chepauk pitch has historically favored spinners, offering significant turn as the match progresses.
• However, recent observations suggest variability in pitch behavior, sometimes assisting pacers with bounce and carry.
• Teams winning the toss might prefer to bowl first, considering the 75% win rate for chasing teams at this venue.

The game is a very important one for both sides, as RR is in a race to recover from a bad start and CSK is aiming to be in the momentum of their campaign. The match will be a deciding factor for RR; the team comes on the back of a 48-run loss to KKR and having struggled to put 131 runs on the scoreboard. On the other hand, CSK was outplayed by RCB in the previous game, as they lost the contest by 50 runs, conceding 206 runs. Both teams are expected to be really charged up and throw a challenge to each other during this important match.

Match Preview:

Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), The batting is the team that the pitch will favour, and as it would take some effort for the ball to make the best of it, the bowlers will not take the advantage completely. The luck of the draw, as an idiom in the game, means the same as the dew factor, and that is how much chasing teams will get. RR are determined to earn their first win in the 2025 season, as they possess dangerous batsmen such as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson. CSK, even after the last game's setback, still has the power to win the game due to the presence of the wise players who are Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja.

Also Read: IPL 2025: DC vs SRH – ACA-VDCA stadium stats and status preview

The dominant chance of winning the game lay on the side of CSK so long as their bowlers have the capacity to stop the RR's openers, in addition to home advantage, which may make the result change in the RR's favour. I would say both of the teams are going to give it their all, as they are in the race to make a statement in the IPL 2025.

Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

Barsapara Cricket Stadium is a quite new complexity for IPL newbies; yet astonishingly, it has made its mark not only for its great atmosphere but also for games that at most times end at 200-up. It also enjoys the quality of offering good bounce and being a batsman's surface. With comparatively shorter boundaries and an uproarious audience igniting the passion among the crowd, it gives new definitions to the word excitement in T20 cricket. Being located in Guwahati, the stadium is an IPL venue that has a combination of local color and fan fervor, something that attracts national and international sport-lovers.

RR’s Record at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been using Barsapara Cricket Stadium as their home ground, which is secondary to their primary one, since 2023. However, the results have not been that impressive there. RR has managed to win only one of the four matches when they played against Delhi Capitals in 2023. On the other hand, Punjab Kings were the ones who beat them in 2023 and 2024, the latter one being the opponent. Their game against KKR in Guwahati in 2024 was spoiled because of the rain.

• Matches Played at Barsapara: 4
• Won: 1
• Lost: 2. 
• No Result: 1 (vs KKR in 2024) 

The highest score at the venue by RR is 199/4 against Delhi Capitals. On the other hand, the lowest score was 147, which they chased successfully against Punjab Kings.

Also Read: Irfan Pathan banned from IPL commentary over alleged bias

Toss and Pitch Conditions at Barsapara

The toss is a critical factor in Guwahati, as dew can highly influence the second innings. Out of the four IPL editions played on this ground:

• Bat first won: 2
• Bat second won: 1
• No Result: 1

The average first innings score is 198, and chasing teams have a slight advantage as the dew can be a contributing factor. Nevertheless, it is still possible to defend the total, as Punjab Kings demonstrated in 2023.

The pitch is favorable to batting by providing high bounce, while spinners might come into the game later in the course. The weather is predicted to be nice and clear, and dew may cause the field to be wet. This will give the team that draws the advantage.

RR vs. KKR: Head-to-Head Battle

Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have both been having a very tightly contested battle of glory in the IPL since the league was started in 2008. The two teams have both managed to take 14 matches out of the 30 they have encountered, with one tie in IPL 2024 in Guwahati, where the match was stopped due to rain.

• Total Matches Played: 29
• RR Wins: 14
• KKR Wins: 14
• No Result: 1 (IPL 2024, Guwahati)

During their most recent match at Eden Gardens in IPL 2024, RR pursued 224 runs and reached their target as they approached the thrilling finish. Jos Buttler, who was 17/5 at one time, made an amazing hit, the unbeaten hundred, which gave a dramatic win to RR.

Also Read: Siraj & Stoinis: A fierce battle and an unfortunate incident

RR now has a lead over KKR in the past time, winning three out of five. RR also has a better record at neutral venues, with four wins and two losses in the head-to-head against KKR. The Bangalore stadium is 6-4 in favor of the home team KKR, while the Jaipur record is tied at 3-3.

Match Outlook

This match is going to be a captivating battle with both teams sporting quite strong lineups. RR will count on the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Jofra Archer, while KKR will depend on Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Quinton de Kock.

The flip of the coin is likely to be of high importance, and spectators can expect a narrow and thrilling game with RR and KKR definitely in the fray to try and secure their first win of IPL 2025.

Rajasthan Royals' Secondary Home Ground - Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati

Apart from Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Rajasthan Royals has also been using Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati as their secondary home venue since 2023. This Guwahati stadium is also known as Assam Cricket Association Stadium. In the IPL 2025,  Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati will host two home matches for Rajasthan Royals. 

Recent matches played by RR at Barsapara Cricket Stadium

• IPL 2024 League Match: RR vs KKR - No Result

• IPL 2024 League Match: RR vs PBKS - Punjab Kings won by 5 wickets

• IPL 2023 League Match: RR vs DC - Hosts Rajasthan Royals won by 57 runs

Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2025 Home Matches at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

How to Buy Tickets for RR Matches at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati

(All the following information about IPL 2025 tickets is only expected. The actual information will be updated once the official statements)

Online Booking:

• Available on BookMyShow, PayTM Insider, and the Rajasthan Royals official website.
• Select your match, choose your seats, and make the payment.

Offline Purchase:

• Offline tickets may be available at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium box office and selected retail outlets.

Ticket Prices (Estimated):

• INR 1200-1900 (General Seats)
• INR 2000-2500 (Middle Tier Seats)
• INR 3500 (Lower Tier Seats)
• INR 7000 (Corporate Seats)