The Rajasthan Royals registered a 4 wicket win over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2024 Eliminator in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The Royals now travel to Chennai to take on Pat Cummins and his fierce Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 2 on Friday, May 24th.
Both the teams would be looking to make it to the final, also to be played in Chennai. However, what’s the weather looking like in Chennai? Will a complete 40-over game take place or will the fans get to see a truncated match?
WEATHER UPDATE
The southern part of the country has been receiving some good amount of rainfall, off late. Chennai has been no different. The weather forecast predictions are not looking great. It’s been cloudy in Tamil Nadu and rain is expected to play a part in the second qualifier. The India Meteorological Department has warned that there could be light rain in the city for the next 48 hours.
WHAT IF IT RAINS ON THE FRIDAY DURING QUALIFIER 2?
For the concerned fans, if it rains in Chennai on May 24, there is a reserve day for the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2. The match will be played the next day if it can’t happen on Friday. If it also gets canceled on the reserve day, which is very unlikely, the team that finished higher in the points table will move forward. In this scenario, Sunrisers Hyderabad will move the final, and will take on Kolkata Knight Riders on May 26th.
IS THERE ANY EXTRA TIME AVAILABLE TO COMPLETE PLAYOFFS MATCH ON THE SCHEDULED DAY?
Yes, according to IPL rules, there is an extra 120 minutes available for each playoff match. This means a playoff match could start as late as 9:40 PM on the original day without reducing the number of overs. The 10-minute interval and time-outs will still be included.
WHAT IF THE RESERVE DAY IS ALSO WASHED OUT?
According to IPL playoff rules, a match result can only be decided if both teams play at least 5 overs each. If one team has already played more than 5 overs, the DLS method will be used to determine the result.
WHAT IS THE LAST CUTOUT TIME FOR THE IPL QUALIFIER 2?
The last cutout time to continue with the IPL Qualifier 2 game is 10:56 PM (22:56 IST). If there is no chance of play after this time, the game will be called off.
The Kolkata Knight Riders will closely watch the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 in between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Rajasthan Royals to plan their strategy for the grand finale based on the team that enters the IPL 2024 Final. Since the IPL 2024 Final will also be played in Chennai, the team playing in Qualifier 2 will have an advantage by playing on the same pitch again before the IPL 2024 Final.
CONCLUSION
The Royals would be riding high on momentum with their recent win against RCB whereas the Sunrisers would be focusing to regroup and come strong against the Rajasthan Royals.
All the fans would be hoping for a tight game, and also praying for the rain GODs to stay away, in Chennai for the next three days.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye.
