New Delhi: The wait for the finals just increased as rain played the spoilsport in the IPL Final between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. Both teams were ready to lock horns but the day got washed out by heavy rain in Ahmedabad and the match has moved to a reserve day. Defending champions GT will now face 4-time champions CSK on May 29 and the tickets for May 28 will be valid today.
There is a chance that it will rain in Ahmedabad today also. While the umpires will wait till the very end to squeeze out the possibility of even a 5-over game, but there is still a chance of the match being abandoned by rain.
Who will win if there is no play on reserve day?
The game will begin at 7:30 pm in ideal conditions but if it rains, no overs will be lost till 9:35 pm. The cut-off time for the game is 12:06 am for a 5-over game and even if that is not possible, the winner will be decided by a super-over. As sad as it may sound that a 20-over game is being decided by just a single over, that is what the rules say.
It is bad news for CSK fans if the rain does not even allow a super over. In case, the game is completely washed off with no possibility of play, Titans will be declared the winners of IPL 2023 as GT was above CSK on the points table.
Weather Forecast
While it is predicted to be mostly clear throughout, there are 15-24 percent chances of rain between 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm.
Match Preview
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway have been the most prolific opening pair this season and with the power-hitting prowess of Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and skipper MS Dhoni CSK has a great batting order. However, they might need Rahane and Rayudu to step up in the finals. CSK has a holistic bowling attack with Tushar Deshpande leading alongside the Sri Lankan duo of Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana as they are picking crucial wickets.
Shubman Gill has played like a star and scored 851 runs in 16 innings, including a whopping three centuries. Wriddhiman Saha’s dip in form is concerning for GT but overall their batting line-up looks sorted with the power-hitters in the bank. GT has undoubtedly the best bowling attack with Mohammed Shami (28), Rashid Khan (27), and Mohit Sharma (24) leading the race for the Purple Cap.
