The seventeenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has reached the climax stage as four teams – Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru – confirmed their spots for the playoffs.
Rain has affected two out of the last three matches in the league stage, Kolkata Knight Riders have not played a competitive game since May 11th. Their last two games against Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals were called off, without a ball being bowled.
Now, with the playoffs set in Ahmedabad, and monsoon hovering across various parts of the country, fans are worried, what happens if Qualifier 1 is washed out due to rain.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
The forecast says the weather will be clear and sunny through the week in Ahmedabad. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) also mentioned that a heatwave is expected in parts of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, over the next five days.
In previous years, only the final had a reserve day. However, for IPL 2024, all four playoff matches have a reserve day. If a match is interrupted, it will continue or be played on the reserve day.
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 the required overs, the DLS method will be used to determine the result.
The last cutout time to go ahead with the proceedings during the IPL Qualifier 1 and the other playoffs games is 10;56 PM / 22:56 IST. The game shall be called off if there is no sign of play post the deadline.
IS THERE ANY EXTRA TIME AVAILABLE TO COMPLETE PLAYOFFS MATCH ON THE SCHEDULED DAY?
Yes, according to IPL playing conditions, 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 HAPPENS IN CASE OF A COMPLETE WASH OUT?
If Qualifier 1 is washed out, the first-placed team moves directly to the final. The second-placed team will go to Qualifier 2, where they will play against the winner of the Eliminator match.
As the IPL 2024 reaches its final stage, the competition among the remaining four teams promises to be intense and captivating.
The IPL 2024 Playoffs will include four matches:
- Qualifier 1: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad – Tuesday, May 21, 2024, Ahmedabad
- Eliminator – Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore – Wednesday, May 22, 2024, Ahmedabad
- Qualifier 2 – Loser of QF 1 vs Winner of Eliminator – May 24, 2024, Chennai
- Final, Chennai
KKR finished at the top of the table with 20 points, followed by SRH and RR with 17 points each, and RCB with 14 points.
The Qualifier 1 will feature Shreyas Iyer’s KKR taking on the formidable looking Pat Cummins’ SRH. KKR has been having a dream run so far in the IPL 2024, however SRH with their fiery top order batters and astute leadership of Patrick Cummins has been a spoilsport for all the other teams in the tournament so far.
Apart from SRH, it’s the weather that also has been a massive spoilsport during the course of the tournament this season with a couple of games either abandoned or reduced to a certain extent due to rain delays. The IPL 2023 final in Ahmedabad was delayed to the backup day because it rained so much that they couldn’t even start the match on the original day. Will this happen again this year? If yes then let’s check about the reserve day for Qualifier 1.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye.
