RCB will take on CSK on Saturday with the final playoffs spot up for grabs
The Chinnaswamy Stadium has an excellent drainage system • BCCI
All focus will be on the Bengaluru weather when Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Chennai Super Kings on Saturday in a game RCB must win by a certain margin to qualify for the playoffs of IPL 2024.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, “heavy rain/thundershowers associated with gusty winds (40-50kph) are very likely” in some parts of Bengaluru on May 18. This could have a severe impact on the RCB-CSK clash.
The city has received consistent rainfall in the last couple of weeks. While it was relatively dry on May 15 and 16, Central Bengaluru, where the Chinnaswamy Stadium is located, woke up on Friday to overnight rain that continued until the morning. It has been cloudy all morning on the eve of the match, and the forecast suggests there could be rain and thunderstorms in the evening.
The forecast for match day does not look promising either with accuweather.com suggesting a thunderstorm in parts of Bengaluru in the evening accompanied by showers. The temperature around 7.30pm, the match start time, is expected to be around 23°C with a 100% cloud cover. It must, however, be noted that Chinnaswamy Stadium has an excellent drainage system. It is one of the few grounds in India with a subsurface aeration system, which is aimed at starting play within 30 minutes after rain ceases.
A washout will end RCB’s hopes of making it to the playoffs after a resurgent run. Having lost seven of their first eight games, RCB have turned a corner by winning their next five games on the bounce. They currently have 12 points and a net run rate of 0.387, while CSK are on 14 with an NRR of 0.538. To go past CSK’s NRR and make it to the playoffs, assuming a score of 200, RCB need to beat CSK by 18 runs or chase down the target with about 11 balls to spare. A truncated game will make their task tougher.
For CSK, the equation is simple: a win, or even a washout, will be enough to take them into the playoffs. Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already qualified.
The tournament witnessed two matches being washed out earlier this week, one in Ahmedabad and the other in Hyderabad.
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
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