IPL 2025: Heavy rain could spoil tournament's restart at M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Bengaluru, May 17 (IANS) If various weather forecasts are to believe, then heavy rain could well play spoilsport in IPL 2025’s restart at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are slated to take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday evening.

As per Accuweather forecasts, thunderstorms, including possibly severe ones, are predicted from Saturday afternoon and evening onwards. For the evening, around the start of the match, precipitation levels have been kept at 49%, 63% and 71% respectively.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) website has also forecasted one or two spells of rain or thunderstorms in the evening, with precipitation levels on their website for Saturday standing at 78%. It’s worth highlighting that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium boasts a state-of-the-art drainage system, where play can restart very quickly once the rain completely stops.

The recent relentless rain in Bengaluru meant that RCB kept their practice session from 2-5 pm on Friday while KKR held their pre-match training from 5-6:30 pm. "When you get to game day, you can't control it. So, actually, you want your players to feel as clear and relaxed as possible. You trust them to make decisions in the moment, regardless of what happens. We don't overthink any of those things really.”

“If the game's rain affected, it's rain affected. It's not something any of us control. So, we don't really think too much about that, but it might influence our preparation,” Mo Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket, had said in the pre-match press conference on Friday.

If the rain in Bengaluru forces the game’s abandonment, KKR’s race to the playoffs will be over. With two games left and 11 points in their kitty, defending champions KKR can only reach a maximum of 15 points even if they emerge victorious in their remaining league matches, which is insufficient to enter the playoffs.

Previously, KKR had a game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) called off earlier in the season at the Eden Gardens. On the other hand, despite a rained-out game, RCB still has a strong chance of making the playoffs and even securing a top two finish. Last month in Bengaluru, their game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) was reduced to 14 overs per side due to rain, where RCB ended up on the losing side.