Follow UsIt all comes down to this. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, will determine which of the two sides will go through to the playoffs. If CSK register an outright win, they will progress to the playoffs, but for RCB to sneak through, they will have to win the game by 18 runs or chase the target down in 18.1 overs.
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However, with the rain threat looming large, there is a high possibility of the match being washed out. If that happens, CSK make it to the next round, and RCB will crash out, despite winning five on the bounce before today.
The Chinnaswamy is believed to have one of the best drainage systems in the country and has a subsurface aeration system. In simple terms, if the rain were to stop for 30 minutes, this system would be good enough to ensure that the game could begin in the next 30 minutes.
What do the reports say?
Heavy rains are predicted in Bengaluru over the next couple of days, with Orange Alert issued in Bengaluru. One can expect moderate to heavy showers in the city on May 18 (Saturday) and May 19 (Sunday). An orange alert implies that the region is expected to receive heavy rainfall (6 cm to 20 cm).
According to Accuweather, there will be cloud cover throughout the game, and the chances of rain will keep going up with each passing minute. In fact, there will be a 34% chance of precipitation just ahead of the game and by the end of it, that goes up to over 51%. The temperature at around 7 PM (toss) is set to be around 28°C with a humidity of 59%. However, at the end of it, the temperature will dip to as low as 25°C, but the humidity will be hovering around 80%.
What do CSK, RCB have to say?
"The good thing is that it is crystal clear what we need to do," Malolan Rangarajan, RCB's head of scouting, said.
"Doesn't matter if it is a 20-over game or a five, six-over game. For us, it might be 3.1 or 3.4 [the number of overs in which RCB may have to chase the target in case of a five-over game] because there are other intricacies within that. We are not going to be going inside thinking we need to restrict 18 runs or 11 balls. We are going to go there, try to stay consistent with what we have done."
"The weather and these kind of things we don't have control over," CSK bowling coach, Dwayne Bravo said.
"We don't try to bring up things that we don't have control over. It's another game for us to push for a playoffs spot and we're really looking ahead to the challenge against a very good team tomorrow."
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