Updated 1 June 2025 at 20:24 IST
Rain reared its head once again during Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2025 game between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (June 1).
It was the Punjab Kings who won the toss and they opted to field, with skipper Shreyas Iyer saying that seemed the better option given the ground conditions ahead of the game were slightly overcast.
"We are going to bowl first. Slightly overcast and the wicket was under the covers yesterday. Based on these, we are going to bowl first," Shreyas said at the toss.
Afterwards, MI skipper said he would have followed what his PBKS counterpart had done.
"We also would have bowled first. Looks like a decent track, just need to bat well, assess the conditions early and I think we'll be okay," Pandya said.
However, the start of the game was delayed hugely due to rain.
The short answer to that question is yes, as extra time has been added to these games to ensure a result is determined on the field of play.
The cut-off time for a full 20 over match is 9:30 PM IST, meaning a game can start 2 hours later than it was intended to.
It is worth noting that there is no reserve day for the match, so in case the match is totally washed out then PBKS will qualify for the final as they finished higher in the table.
Assuming the game does not start at 9:30 PM IST, then the latest a five-over game must start is at 11:56 PM IST.
If a match cannot start by then, then PBKS will be declared as the qualifiers for the final.
It would be heartbreaking for MI if they are denied a spot in the final due to rain, but it is kept this way to keep the league stages relevant.
Published 1 June 2025 at 20:09 IST