Due to persistent rain, the final match of the Indian Premier League 2023 was washed out and has been rescheduled to the reserve day, which is Monday, May 29. Despite waiting for over three hours, the players, support staff, and umpires had no choice but to postpone the game to the following day.
Fans who were present at the stadium were advised to keep their physical tickets as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) expects a complete 20-over match on the reserve day.
While the weather forecast does not predict rain during the match time on Monday, there remains a concern about possible downpours in the afternoon, which is a matter of worry for fans, teams, and officials alike.
It is worth noting that such heavy rainfall was not anticipated even on the previous day, but unfortunately, the match had to be canceled due to continuous rain.
The major question at this moment is what will happen if the reserve day is also affected by rain. In that case, the Gujarat Titans will be crowned as the champions.
As the team led by Hardik Pandya finished at the top of the league table, they would be awarded the title if the match cannot be played on May 29. The defending champions had an impressive record, winning ten out of their 14 matches in the season, securing the first position. Meanwhile, the Chennai Super Kings finished second, trailing the league leaders by three points.
If the match goes ahead as planned on the reserve day, Gujarat Titans will have the opportunity to claim the title for the second consecutive year, thanks to their superior position on the points table. This achievement will make Hardik Pandya the third captain in the tournament’s history to achieve such a feat. Previously, MS Dhoni accomplished this in 2010 and 2011, while Rohit Sharma did it in 2019 and 2020.
Nevertheless, despite the weather conditions suggesting a game can take place tomorrow, the outcome remains uncertain.
The toss will hold significant importance, as opting to bowl first would be advantageous in such conditions. Furthermore, since the entire ground was not covered during the rain, the outfield is expected to be exceptionally fast, providing an advantageous opportunity for batsmen to score runs.