Guwahati: Rajasthan Royals were denied a shot at a top-two finish in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 points table as their final league match against Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of rain at the Barsapara Stadium here on Sunday.
The abandonment of IPL 2024’s last league game means table-toppers KKR will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1 at Ahmedabad on Tuesday, while third-placed RR will take on the in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator at the same venue on Wednesday. It’s also the first time that KKR have ended an IPL league stage as table-toppers.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, there had been an alert issued in Guwahati about rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds affecting the clash between the top two teams on the points table. Just five minutes before the scheduled toss time, sudden rain forced the groundstaff to bring the covers on the playing square.
Soon, additional covers were brought in and the forecast was not looking promising with the drizzle varying between heavy and steady, keeping the teams as well as fans waiting. With the cut-off time for a five-over shootout set at 10.56 pm local time, the rain stopped at 10 pm and covers were pulled off, with super soppers working in full swing.
With the rain threat still looming, KKR chose to bowl first in a seven-overs-per-side shootout. But ahead of the start of the truncated game, rain returned to Guwahati, and the covers were back in place.
The inevitable happened at 10:49 pm when captains Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson shook hands to signal the abandonment of the match, with both RR and KKR receiving a point each.
–IANS