An alert from the National Disaster Management Authority bears grim prognoses about impending thunderstorms, rain and gusty wind for Guwahati residents ahead of Rajasthan Royals versus Kolkata Knight Riders, Indian Premier League’s last group-stage fixture.
That the match at Barsapara Stadium may end up deciding whether Sanju Samson’s men finish in the top two, it may have the dugout addressing a prayer or two to the rain gods.
Captains shake hands. The match has been abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain
Rain stops and Shreyas Iyer wins the toss, opting to bowl. But rain resumes soon after and the covers are on again
Covers are coming off. Faint drizzle now. The audience is pouring back in and cheers of “Khela Hobe” echo in the stands. There are small puddles scattered across the outfield
No sign of the groundstaff now. Nothing has changed weatherwise in Guwahati. Are we well and truly headed for a washout?
Almost game over. With a below-par drainage in Guwahati, doesn’t look like we are going to have a game tonight. Fans have vacated the lower stands as there is water accumulating on the chairs as well.
Rain returns in Guwahati and it’s the heaviest it’s been this evening. Covers back on. Not looking good for RR vs KKR. Groundsmen are covering the entire field of play again. The first crack of thunder reverberates across the venue.
Covers are off completely. The rain’s gone. A few groundsmen are inspecting some wet areas around the practice pitches and outfield now
Some checks being performed on the Spyder cam, which has been covered in a black plastic bag. Only the pitch and run-ups are under cover now. The ever so light drizzle persists
They have started pulling the square covers away. Two soppers have jumped into action.
There are little puddles forming on the covers, which have been laid across the field. The heavy downpour has relented and we are back to a slight drizzle
The drizzle has translated into a heavy, heavy downpour now. There is around an hour to go though before we start losing overs. Now you can also see an occasional flash of lightning light up the backdrop and as I type this, the drizzle has gotten heavier. This can’t be good. The stadium speakers are being covered in polythene bags now
Update from our reporter on ground, Santadeep Dey: It’s still the same. The drizzle has persisted. But it’s so slight that the people don’t even have their umbrellas out yet. This may turn out to be a very frustrating wait
QUALIFIER/ELIMINATOR SCENARIOS FOR RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Toss for RR vs KKR has been delayed due to rain
Covers have been brought in to the middle and broadcast cameras have also been covered. Two umbrellas have been brought up to the centre wicket. No rain so far.
Current weather: Humid with clouds. Mostly cloudy weather to persist tonight with rain and thunderstorms later in the night.
Not a sign of any rain clouds hovering over Barsapara. Almost time for sunset now and Rajasthan Royals would hope the weather stays the same.
Here’s an update from our correspondent on ground, Santadeep Dey: A few kids enjoy a game of football at a school ground in Barsapara. The weather looks more than fine for a game of cricket as well, thus far. There was heavy rain last night but none of that would matter now. It is actually a lot more pleasant as well than how a major chunk of the past week has been.
Guwahati saw a storm on Friday which severely impacted power in the city. Several trees were also uprooted impacting day to day life. The match is largely expected to not be affected by the match. There may be a rain delay, but a fall match is expected.
Thunderstorms are expected post 6pm.
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