Rain threat hangs over crucial MI-DC game in Mumbai

The IPL 2025 match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) could be hit by rain after the met department issued a yellow alert for Mumbai on Tuesday evening for the next four days.

As per the met department, the city is expected to receive thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and heavy rainfall. There was rain forecast for Tuesday, too, but it did not arrive until about 8pm IST. By then MI had completed their practice but KL Rahul's batting session in the DC nets was cut short. For most of the evening, dark clouds hovered over the Wankhede Stadium before it became windy and was followed by a downpour. The suburbs of the city experienced heavy rainfall and thunderstorm on Tuesday evening too.

If the MI-DC contest gets washed out, the teams will split the points. And a lot would hinge on their last league games - against Punjab Kings (PBKS) for both of them. MI's last game at the Wankhede - against Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 6 - was also affected by rain. There were multiple short stoppages, with MI eventually losing by the DLS method.

The drainage system at the Wankhede Stadium prevents waterlogging on the field. But the outfield is sand-based, because of which it often remain soggy even if there are no puddles. Covers are used only for the pitches and the square at the venue.

The BCCI had announced on Tuesday that the remaining league games of this IPL would have an extra 120 minutes added to boost the chances of having a full 40-over game even with rain interruptions.

This will be the last IPL 2025 game at the Wankhede Stadium, which is also set to host the T20 Mumbai tournament, Mumbai Cricket Association's T20 league, from June 4 to 12.