The Indian Premier League’s league stage came to an end on Sunday as the Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders match at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati was called off due to rain before a ball was played.
Rain stopped at 10:02 pm, and Shreyas Iyer chose to bowl at the toss, delaying the match by three hours, but another spell of rain prompted the umpires to cancel the match. There had been expectations for a seven-over match.
The washout would further depress RR, who have been on a miserable four-match losing skid, even if KKR wouldn’t be too concerned. After appearing certain to win the Group Stage, Sanju Samson’s team will now play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator on Wednesday. Meanwhile, KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad will get two chances to advance to the championship game.
Early in the morning, the city was battered by heavy rainfall, which signaled the beginning of disaster.
The broadcast team began hiding their cameras by the sightscreen at a little after six o’clock in the evening. Less than a minute later, two enormous umbrellas and a tarp sheet were set up directly next to the field.
It began to drizzle in less than thirty minutes. The grounds crew acted swiftly, covering the whole playing field before the rain turned into a significant downpour.
At 8:08 p.m., when they began removing the square covers and bringing on the super soppers, there was a brief moment of relief. At 8:50 p.m., the rain came back, this time with more intensity. The groundskeepers scrambled over the green, seemingly giving up too soon after, trying desperately to keep the outfield safe.
It was “game over” before the official declaration since the Barsapara Stadium’s drainage system was subpar compared to those of its peers around the nation.
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