BENGALURU: With relentless rain washing over Bengaluru for the past few days and a yellow alert for more heavy rain issued by the met department, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s game on May 23 against Sunrisers Hyderabad has been moved to Lucknow.
“With a yellow alert in Bengaluru this week, there was no option for the BCCI but to shift the match out of Bengaluru. As a franchise, we are disappointed that we will not be playing in front of our home crowd due to reasons beyond our control. We are sure our phenomenal fan base will continue to shower their love on the team, irrespective of where we play,” Rajesh Menon, vice president RCB, told TOI on Tuesday.
Lucknow was the most viable option since SRH are currently in the city and LSG host RCB two days later on May 25. RCB played a 14-overs-a-side contest against Punjab Kings last month, while Saturday’s match against KKR was abandoned without a ball being bowled. RCB have already qualified and a top two finish is at stake. Both SRH and LSG are already out of the race.
Ahmedabad to host finalOn Tuesday, the BCCI announced Mullanpur and Ahmedabad as the host cities for the playoffs. Mullanpur will host Qualifier 1 on May 29 and the Eliminator on May 30. The Qualifier 2 and the final will be held in Ahmedabad on June 1 and June 3, respectively.
Timings extendedThe onset of monsoon and the one-week break in the league have necessitated tweaking of the playing conditions. The additional 120 minutes for play to be completed, a norm for playoffs, has been extended to the remaining league matches. For league matches, the extra time is usually 60 minutes. This means that a 20-over-a-side game can start at 9.30 pm, while the cut-off time for a five-over-a-side match will now be 11.56 pm.
Get IPL 2025 match schedules, squads, points table, and live scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.Manuja Veerappa is a sports and features writer with 19 years of ...
Read MoreManuja Veerappa is a sports and features writer with 19 years of experience. She has covered a repertoire including World Cups in cricket and hockey, Commonwealth Games and world championships in billiards and snooker among other major events. An alumnus of one of Bangalore's most prestigious institutions, Bishop Cotton Girls' School, she represented Karnataka in hockey at the national-level.
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