IPL Final RCB vs PBKS Weather Report: What If Rain Soils Bengaluru vs Punjab Game?

The Indian Premier League final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings is set for Tuesday, June 3, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, rain is expected to disrupt the match. Ahmedabad has already experienced monsoon rains, and a recent qualifier match between Punjab and Mumbai Indians was delayed due to rainfall.

During the qualifier, although the toss occurred on time at 7 PM IST, continuous drizzle delayed the start until 9:45 PM. The game extended beyond its scheduled hours. A similar situation might occur during the final when RCB faces PBKS.

Weather Reports for IPL Final

If rain prevents the completion of the final on June 3, a reserve day is available. Should a complete washout occur, the match will be rescheduled for June 4. This provision ensures that weather disruptions do not deny fans an exciting conclusion to the tournament.

In case of an incomplete match on June 3, there is a two-hour grace period to finish it. The cut-off time for play is 11:56 PM. If play starts but cannot be completed, it will resume on the following day.

IPL Rules on Weather Interruptions

The IPL has specific rules regarding weather-related delays or interruptions. For regular season matches, up to sixty minutes of extra time is available. For play-off matches like this final, up to one hundred and twenty minutes can be used.

If extra time is needed, it follows a sequence: first using the allocated extra time, then 'time outs', and finally reducing innings change intervals if necessary. Super Over changeover periods are excluded from this calculation.

Reserve Day Provisions

For play-off matches, reserve days are also available to complete any unfinished games. If both June 3 and June 4 are washed out completely, the team higher in the IPL points table will win. In this scenario, Punjab Kings would be declared champions.

Ahmedabad hosted a rain-affected IPL final in 2023 as well. Scheduled initially for May 28, it was postponed due to rain without any play occurring that day. The Board of Control for Cricket in India utilised a reserve day then too.

Past Rain-affected Finals

Even with a reserve day in place during the 2023 final, rain interruptions led to a shortened match with only 15 overs played in the second innings. Such occurrences highlight how crucial reserve days are for ensuring fair competition outcomes.