Finance
Sunrisers Hyderabad, captained by Pat Cummins, have become the third team to book a spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs, following the Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, after their match against Gujarat Titans was rained out on Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Because the match was called off without a ball being bowled, both SRH and GT now have one point each. With 15 points, SRH has qualified for the playoffs. To be in contention for a top-two finish, they must defeat the Punjab Kings on Sunday and pray that the Rajasthan Royals lose to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
SRH getting into playoffs means Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants will get knocked out of race to playoffs. It also means the last playoffs spot will be decided by the all-important clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Hours before the start of play in Hyderabad, it began to rain in the city. A post on social media platform X from Director Of Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation said: “Heavy rainfall is expected today in Hyderabad city. Till 6pm there is a break in rainfall today and may resume after 6pm. Citizens may plan their travel accordingly.”
Visuals from the ground showed the playing area being under blue covers and tyres kept on the partition areas, with soggy patches already forming in the outfield areas which haven’t been covered. With more slightly dark clouds over the ground, the chances of a game went bleak till 7:15pm, when covers began to come off and super soppers working relentlessly.
At 7:45pm, it was announced that toss would happen at 8pm and match would begin from 8:15pm. But eight minutes before toss, drizzle was back, so as the covers. With the drizzle turning into a heavy downpour and showing no signs of easing, it became increasingly apparent that the match would be called off.
Around 10 p.m., on-field umpires Nand Kishore and Virender Sharma were carrying umbrellas and discussing with ground personnel whether there was enough time to prepare the pitch for a five-over shootout. Eleven minutes later, the umpires summoned the captains and shook hands to officially end the game due to rain.
GT also became the first team in IPL history to have two consecutive abandoned matches with not a single ball bowled, capping off a bleak IPL 2024 season. The Shubman Gill-led team had planned to wear a lavender shirt to raise cancer awareness, but they were unable to do so owing to rain.
Source:IANS
