Rain brought down the curtains on the league stage of the Indian Premier League when the game between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati was abandoned on Sunday without a ball bowled.
Although there were hopes of having a seven-over game after rains relented at 10:02 pm and Shreyas Iyer opted to bowl at the toss — delayed by three hours — another wet spell forced the umpires’ hands to call it a day.
Although KKR wouldn’t be too bothered, the washout will crush the spirits of RR, which has been on a wretched four-match losing streak, further. Sanju Samson’s men, who once looked set to finish the Group Stage at pole position, will now meet the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator on Wednesday. KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, will have two shots at making the final.
The first signs of trouble appeared when heavy showers lashed the city in the early hours of the day.
At around a quarter past 6pm the broadcast crew started covering their cameras near the sightscreen. Under a minute later, a tarp sheet and two huge umbrellas were kept right beside the pitch.
In under 30 minutes, it started to drizzle. The groundsmen were quick to spring into action and before it could translate into a heavy downpour, the entire playing area was placed under covers.
There was shortlived relief at 8:08pm when they started peeling off the square covers and the super soppers were brought on. The rain returned, heavier than ever, at 8:50pm. The groundsmen scurried across the green in desperate attempts to protect the outfield, but soon after, it seemed they too had given up.
With an under-par drainage system at the Barsapara Stadium when compared to its contemporaries across the country, they had deemed it was ‘game over’ long before the official announcement.
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