All over for KKR
Kolkata Knight Riders’ title defence ended with a washout in Bengaluru knocking them out of the tournament. The IPL’s return after a break because of tensions between India and Pakistan was a wet one as heavy rains lashed the city. The downpour was so consistent the players couldn’t even come out to stretch.
The one point from this match took KKR to 12, which means the maximum they can get to is 14. Three teams are already past 14, and there is a match remaining between the ones at 14 and 13.
The one point also confirmed progress for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but they were looking to maximise points in order to seal a top-two spot. They moved to 17 from 12 matches. Their closest rivals were Gujarat Titans with 16 from 11 matches and Punjab Kings with 15 from 11.
A top-two finish ensures two shots at making the final of the IPL. Unlike the usual semi-final formation, sides finishing in the top two don’t get knocked out with their first defeat in the playoffs. They get a chance to play a virtual semi-final against the winner of a playoff match between the third- and fourth-placed teams.
Only once has a side finishing outside the top two gone on to win the IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
It was a frustrating night out for Virat Kohli fans, who came out in whites to pay tribute to Kohli, who announced his Test retirement during this break. They will be hoping for better luck with the weather on Friday as the rainy season in Bengaluru has kicked in, and they still have one home match to go. The said match is against Sunrisers Hyderabad, a team that has already been knocked out. They will want to have a shot at two points against them.
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Oops
The rain is back. Covers are back on. It is not looking good.
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Good news, bad news
You can see the bad news in the tweet above, but the good news is that the fourth umpire has walked out and his umbrella is down.
There is a mizzle around but the super soppers are at work. We have started losing overs btw.
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Some good news
Ashish Pant reports:
People have started returning to their seats. Some RCB, RCB chants as well. It's down to a light drizzle now. But no activity, yet on the ground.
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Still raining
It is still raining steadily. We will start losing overs if we don't start at 8.30pm. The latest a 5-over game can start at is 10.56pm.
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Who's in, who's out?
If you are wondering which players are back and which are not after the break, here is where you can find all updates.
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Toss will be delayed
We are now certain the toss is delayed. It is still pelting down at Chinnaswamy.
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A Test tribute
A lot has happened since the IPL was last played. The big news is that Virat Kohli has decided to retire from Tests. His fans are thinking of painting Chinnaswamy white with a dash of 18 in blue.
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It's back
After a brief interruption, the IPL is back. It's RCB vs KKR. RCB are looking to cement their position in the top two, KKR are looking for survival. Even if KKR win both their remaining games, they can still lose out but without winning them both they don't stand a chance.
Now onto some bad news. There is rain in the Bangalore air, and we hope it goes away and lets the sub-air drainage system do its magic.
Here is an update from Ashish Pant.
Hellos from a very wet Chinnaswamy stadium where it is absolutely hosing down. The forecast was always going to be of rain and thunderstorms, and that has arrived big time. The rain hasn’t deterred the RCB faithful, who have come in big numbers. There is a lot of red, but the change today is that there are a lot of white jerseys, with fans coming in to pay tribute to Virat Kohli after he retired from Test cricket last week. But they will have to wait as this match isn’t starting anytime soon. Chinnaswamy Stadium has one of the best drainage systems in the world, so it’s just a matter of time when/if the rain stops. For the time being, it is a long wait.
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