CSK vs KKR, 13th match at Cape Town, IPL, Apr 25 2009 - Ball by Ball Commentary

7.16 pm The inevitable has happened. The match has been called off. The second match to be washed out without a ball being bowled this tournament. Like the last game that was washed out, the decision here too was made around 45 minutes before the cut-off. Terrible news, this. There's another match slated to be held at Cape Town tomorrow, and hopefully that won't meet the same fate as this. So, as a result of the abandonment, Kolkata and Chennai are now even on points, though the former have a lower net run-rate. Unfortunately, that's all we have from here. Thanks for your patience and sending your feedback despite all the bad news around. Join us again tomorrow. Until then, it's Siddhartha Talya signing off.

7.10 pm: There is still some light rain at the ground. It seems unlikely we'll get some play. Remember, the groundsmen need to get the field ready once the rain stops, and the cut-off time is only 50 minutes away.

7.00 pm: We are just an hour away from the cut-off time now.

Dinesh: "I can hear Sivamani loud and clear, sounds like he is trying his best to keep the spirits up." You're wrong. R: "That's not Sivamani, that's the in-house DJ! Sivamani doesn't play house music!"

Comment of the day from Aarkay: "Lalit Modi going around the ground inspecting the conditions...so expect atleast a 5 over game at all cost!" We got this around ten minutes back. And it started raining again around five minutes back, so whatever he did out there in the middle, didn't work.

Gordon has sent us this: "Since this game is going no where for now, I thought I might throw my two cents into the hat about the whole T20 vs The Rest of Cricket debate.

It was my sister's eleventh birthday tonight and we had called some family and friends to celebrate the occasion. It was pretty much a bunch of Indians from various parts of Mumbai, in an Australian house.

We (and by we I mean all the guys and dad's) all were very aware of the Mumbai vs Deccan match and were anxious to watch the match. One phone call from one of the guys to his dad, who was on his way to our place, and he brought his set-top box, connected it to our TV and we were set for some fun.

Despite the unfortunate result (for us at least), it gave us the opportunity to watch a full game of cricket with plenty of fun and action. Talking to a friend, he mentioned how with the busy lifestyle (esp. here is Australia) of uni, sports, social outings and work, he hardly had the time to watch any sport, let alone cricket. But with T20 a somewhat usual quite-casual dinner party turned into a fun night for not only us guys but even some of the ladies as well (not that they understood what was going on the whole time!).

I still very much believe in that Tests are essential for the best cricket, however I think the time might soon come where T20's overtake ODI's, as much as I wouldn't like to see. But hey, that's just me. It's late down here, so hopefully you guys get some action soon!

Cheers!"

6.21 pm: Ominous signs, folks. It's still raining. The covers are still on, and the broadcasters have no option but to switch back to highlights from yesteryears. We, in the meantime, wait on.

Sunil: "One more active chinaman bowler is Dave Mohammed from WI." Well done!

6.00 pm: The update is that there's no update. Must be still raining. There were quite a few puddles in the outfield, so even if the rain has stopped, the sole supersopper on the ground will take a while to clear them up. Doesn't sound good at all.

5.50 pm: Imran: "I am a slow left arm unorthodox bowler. Does anyone know which current players bowl chinamen currently?" Simon Katich, Brad Hogg.....oh but Hogg has retired.

Athol: "Hmmmm, I stay just around the corner from Newlands. At the official weather station for Cape Town we had 1mm of rain for the entire month of March. Since the IPL circus came to town we've had more rain than in the entire year up to the IPL opening match!!"

Naveen: "Why exactly does KKR have a 52 member squad?" Beats me. Now that's another time killer. Just read out the names of all the members of that team, and we should have the ground ready for play by then.

5.39 pm: We've already got a few e-mails from folks in England laughing away at the rain-affected IPL while raving about the weather at home. It's not been that bad, just one game washed out so far. This may end up being the second, but fingers crossed, at least for a five-over affair. Just to remind you guys again that the cut-off time is 8 pm local time, so there are more than two hours remaining. Chin up, and hope for some play.

5.29 pm: Some more ways of killing your time. A fun day at the beach with a bunch of penguins for our cheerleader correspondent, Rebecca Lee.

Tishani Doshi realises Shane Warne, that cad, isn't so bad after all.

5.14 pm: We're being shown the highlights from the thrilling super over when Yusuf Pathan went berserk. But the delay, it appears, will be a fairly long one given that it's been raining since morning. There were a few hundred fans at the ground; the umpires are strolling about. It's chilly out at Newlands, and there is a consistent drizzle. The covers are still on. What a dampener this is.

You can also kill your time going through the highs and lows from the first week of the IPL. Do check out the link now, it's working, and thanks for alerting.

4.46 pm: Have you joined the IPL fantasy league? There are two versions of this for the IPL (Salary cap and Pick 'em). Check it out. Play is still a fair while away, so you've got some time.

4.37 pm: The bad news continues. It has started raining again and the covers are being brought back on. There are some pretty big puddles in the outfield, and the third umpire says the groundsmen would require some time to clear the outfield once the rain stops. The cut-off time, remember, is 8 pm. If the umpires decide to have a game then, then it'll be a five-over fixture.

4.30 pm: The news from Cape Town isn't great. It has been raining since morning, and the covers have been on all day. They've started coming off now, as the rain has stopped, but we might be in for a delayed start despite the slight improvement in proceedings.

4.20 pm local time: Hello and welcome to Cricinfo's coverage of the 13th game of the IPL this year, between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders being played in Cape Town. Kolkata will be a little down on confidence after that thrilling finish against Rajasthan Royals, where they were outdone in the Super Over after levelling the scores. Chennai have the solitary win against Bangalore Royal Challengers to their name, though both their losses thus far have come in fairly closely-fought games.

Deccan Chargers came up trumps against Mumbai Indians by 12 runs earlier today, to notch up their third straight win in the competition. Together with Delhi Daredevils, they have have emerged the early favourites in the IPL this year.

We are still a while away from the toss, so you can read the preview to the game in the meantime.