Rajnandgaon Panthers vs Bilaspur Bulls, CHPL 2026, Today Match Prediction

RPR vs BLS Match Prediction & Analysis

Rajnandgaon Panthers, the joint winners of the 2025 season, are off to a very poor start this year, losing their opening match to the Rhinos. Panthers had won every single game last year, except the league stage game they lost to Bilaspur Bulls.

Can they settle scores with the Bulls, who are in great batting form? The Panthers could not even survive 20 overs in their recent game while chasing 229 runs, as they were bowled out for 138 runs in 16 overs. Skipper Ajay Jadav Mandal was the only batter in the top 5 to score in double digits for Rajnandgaon Panthers.

For the Bulls, too, the skipper was the top batter with an unbeaten hundred, leading the side to a competitive total in the first innings. Bilaspur Bulls’ captain Aayush Pandey got support from Vikalp Tiwari at number 4, who also delivered an impactful knock to help the side cross the 200-run mark.

Though they conceded 200+ while defending the total, the bowlers made a strong comeback in the second half and were exceptional at the death overs, helping the team secure a 22-run victory over Bastar Bisons.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

RPR

L

RR

228/6 in 20.0 11.4

CHPL 2026

Raipur Rhinos beat Rajnandgaon Panthers by 90 runs 03 Jun 2026

RPR

138/10 in 16.0 8.62

BLS

W

BB

204/10 in 19.5 10.29

CHPL 2026

Bilaspur Bulls won by 22 runs 🏆 04 Jun 2026

BLS

227/3 in 20.0 11.35

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Rajnandgaon Panthers Preview

Can the defending champions make a comeback in this game? They will need their key middle-order batters to bounce back with a strong performance to lead the team to a highly competitive total if they lose the toss and are put to bat first.

The opposition has a strong batting lineup and scored 200+ in their recent outing. Though the Panthers lost their opening match while chasing a 229-run target, we reckon they will still prefer to bowl first and back themselves to chase down a target in this match.

While Ajay Jadav Mandal scored a 74 off 44 balls in the run chase, Aryan Jaiswal was the second-highest run-scorer with 14 off 10 balls at number 8. Opening batter Ashish Dahariya must lead the Panthers off to a flying start alongside skipper Mandal if they are to make a comeback in this game.

Sanjeet Jitendra Desai and Sahil Shariff also failed to get going in the middle order and will be expected to find their rhythm quickly to help rebuild the innings in case the Panthers lose early wickets. Aishwarya Mourya was brought in as the impact player at number 6, but failed to get going.

Sumit Ruikar had the best economy in the bowling department in the last game while being wicketless. Satyam Dubey, who was the top wicket-taker, picking up 2 scalps, conceded 48 runs, just one behind Abhyuday Singh, who finished with none for 49 in his 4 overs.

Interesting Stats

Rajnadgaon Panthers were bowled out for 132 while chasing 201 runs in their previous encounter with Bilaspur Bulls in 2025

Ajay Jadav Mandal averaged 73.75 last season, scoring 295 runs in 6 innings

Rajnandgaon Panthers Predicted Playing XI:

Ashish Dahariya, Ajay Jadav Mandal (c), Sanjeet Desai, Sahil Shariff, Harsh Sahu (wk), Aishwary Mourya, Abhyuday Singh, Satyam Dubey, Aman Tripathi, Aryan Jaiswal, Sumit Ruikar

Rajnandgaon Panthers Actual Playing XI:

Sanjeet Desai, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Arin Dwivedi, Sumit Ruikar, Satyam Dubey, Diwakar Tamrakar, Ashish Dahariya, Sahil Shariff, Aishwarya Mourya, Aryan Jaiswal, Aman Tripathi, Abhishek Sohgaura

Bilaspur Bulls Preview

The Bulls are off to a winning start with a brilliant all-round performance in their opening match. It looked like the total would not be enough, as the opposition was cruising at one point with plenty of wickets in hand.

However, Varun Singh Bhue’s fifer turned the game around, and Mohit Raut added the finishing touches with two wickets in his last over to ensure the opposition didn’t even come close to the target. 

It was an exceptional performance given how most other teams have struggled to contain the flow of runs. Bhue broke two key partnerships while defending 227 runs. He gave the Bulls their first breakthrough, picking up the first wicket when the Bisons had 54 runs on the board in the 6th over. 

He then later dismissed Rahul Pradhan, breaking an 80-run off 30 balls partnership for the 4th wicket. Earlier in the game, skipper Aayush Pandey scored 147 off 62 balls to put the Bulls on top of the game. Vikalp Tiwari was unbeaten on 69 off 53 balls at number 4 to ensure the Bilaspur Bulls crossed the 220-run mark. 

Pawan Parnate and Abhijeet Tah are other key top-order batters who must find a way to rise to the occasion. While they don’t have Shashank Singh from the previous season, they still have all-rounder Mohammad Irfan, who is quite reliable in the middle order.

Interesting Stats

Bhue was the top bowler with a 3-fer against the Panthers in their previous head-to-head contest

Aayush Pandey scored 246 runs in 6 innings last year at an average of 49.20

Bilaspur Bulls Predicted Playing XI:

Pawan Parnate (wk), Aayush Pandey (c), Abhijit Tah, Vikalp Tiwari, OM Vaishnav, Om Koshle, Mohammad Irfan, Mohit Raut, Imtiyaj Khan, Varun Singh Bhue, Bharat Gondwani, Harsh Rathore

Bilaspur Bulls Actual Playing XI:

Aayush Pandey, Pawan Parnate, Vikalp Tiwari , Mohit Raut, Varun Bhuie, Harsh Rathore, Abhijeet Tah, Imtiyaj Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Om Koshle, Bharat Gondwani

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It will be a clear night with a high of 33 degrees Celsius in Raipur around the match time. The temperatures would drop as the game progresses, and the chasing team should back themselves to deliver a stronger performance. There will be some humidity in the air, which should help the swing bowlers move the new ball early in the powerplay.

RPR vs BLS Pitch Report

It is a belter of a wicket at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, where it has been raining sixes so far this season. Bilaspur Bulls’ captain Aayush Pandey hit 11 sixes and 13 fours in his recent innings on this ground. The average first innings score at the venue this season is 207 runs, with the teams batting first crossing the 200-run mark twice in three games. We reckon anything under 200 runs will not be safe on this pitch, and whoever bats first must aim for 210-220 to be in a winning position.

Toss: To Bowl

Though teams batting first have won 2 of the 3 matches played at this venue so far in the Chhattisgarh Premier League 2026, we reckon both teams will be keen to bowl first and chase a target. Last season, 76% of matches were won by the chasing team. And though the Bulls and Rhinos successfully defended 200+ totals in recent outings, we have seen the chasing team give the Bulls a scare while chasing a 206-run target.