As the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) heads into its business end, all eyes are on the final round-robin match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday (May 18). The match could potentially decide which team heads into the playoffs but there is a high possibility that it may get washed out due to the rain threat looming large.
According to weather reports, there is a 73 per cent chance of rain during the daytime which is expected to rise to 80 per cent around 6 pm. Apart from the rainfall, the meteorologists have predicted thunderstorms which further dents the chances of the game being completed.
The only saving grace remains the state-of-the-art outfield at Chinnaswamy, known for its superb drainage system. If the rain stays put for a few hours, despite the match starting late, the ground will be ready for a full match.
While RCB need a definite win and few other results to go its way, a no-result will allow CSK to make it to the top-4 and challenge for a title defence.
RCB have staged a remarkable comeback in the second half of the tournament, winning five consecutive matches to revive their playoff aspirations. The batters have been firing all cylinders and it has made the contest, which otherwise would have been a dead rubber – the most anticipated of the round.
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Is there a reserve day for RCB vs CSK?
However, if the rain continues and the match cannot get underway by 10:56 pm, it will be called off. For a result to be possible, a minimum of five overs need to be played.
Unfortunately for RCB and its fans across the country, IPL does not have a reserve day for league-stage matches. As per IPL playing conditions, a reserve day is only available for playoff games.
“For the play-off matches, there may be reserve days (on which an incomplete play-off match shall be completed),” reads the IPL rulebook.
Gujarat Titans (GT) crashed out of the tournament after their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium was abandoned on Monday (May 13), without the toss.
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Avanish Rao Aravelly
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan
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