T20S

Right then, we have had 70 group games in the 2024 Indian T20 League and now the caravan heads to Ahmedabad for the first two playoff games. Also, a good gesture from the Rajasthan players as they come out to applaud the crowd by taking a lap of the ground and the crowd certainly deserves that. Anyway, first up, it will be Kolkata taking on Hyderabad on Tuesday, 21 May in Qualifier 1 and the stakes will be very high as the winner will get a direct entry into the Grand Finale whereas the loser will have to play another game. That game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but as usual, you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Till then, take care and goodbye!

The rain has played spoilsport, once again, leaving the match abandoned. It's a disappointing conclusion to the final game of the group stages, but such is the unpredictability of the weather. Rajasthan find themselves in a sombre state, forced to settle for a solitary point, which leaves them at the third spot on the points table. Their slightly lower net run rate compared to Hyderabad, who clinched victory earlier this evening, pushes them down the ladder. With four consecutive losses in their recent games and now this washout, Rajasthan's confidence might take a hit as they now gear for the Eliminator where they face Bengaluru, a team riding a wave of red-hot form with six consecutive wins under their belt. Conversely, Kolkata's luck too has taken a similar turn with two consecutive games falling victim to the bad weather. Nevertheless, they remain a side brimming with confidence and will now focus on the highly-anticipated clash against Hyderabad in Qualifier 1, promising an electrifying showdown for fans.

UPDATE 10.50 pm IST (5.20 pm GMT) - The dreadful news we were hoping to avoid is here. The umpires have a prolonged chat with the officials and the conversation ends with the umpires shaking hands with the ground staff. Sanju Samson is out in the middle followed by Shreyas Iyer and the umpires convey the news to both skippers who shake hands. THE MATCH HAS BEEN ABANDONED! Spare a thought for the ground staff who did a remarkable job of getting the ground ready but it just wasn't meant to be and we do now know that Kolkata will be facing Hyderabad who snatched 2nd place from Rajasthan due to a better net run rate in Qualifier 1 whereas Rajasthan will have to face a resurgent Bengaluru side in the Eliminator game.

UPDATE 10.39 pm IST (5.09 pm GMT) - Uh, oh! The rain is back out of nowhere! What a shame for everyone involved and it looks like rain will have the telling say in this game after all. The covers are coming back on and it is now heavy rain by any means but the damage was already done early on. Well, a few minutes later and it is definitely getting heavier now and we should have the official word soon.

Impact Players nominated by Kolkata - Vaibhav Arora, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, KS Bharat, Sherfane Rutherford.

Kolkata (Playing XI) - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Impact Players nominated by Rajasthan - Shubham Dubey, Keshav Maharaj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen, Donovan Ferreira.

Rajasthan (Playing XI) - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (C/WK), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Nandre Burger.

The Rajasthan skipper, Sanju Samson says they would have liked to bowl first as well and informs that the pitch this time has more moisture. Ends by saying that they might have a last minute change with Nandre Burger coming in.

Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of Kolkata says they will bowl first since it is now a 7-over game and they don't know how the pitch will play. Concludes that Anukul Roy plays this game.

TOSS - Kolkata win the toss and Shreyas Iyer decides to BOWL first and informs right away that it is a 7 overs-a-side game. Official news is that it will start at 10.45 pm IST (5.15 pm GMT).

UPDATE 10.28 pm IST (4.58 pm GMT) - The decisive inspection is going on with the players being seen doing their warm-ups and a lot of staff members chatting amongst themselves. There is one particular patch of grass in the outfield which seems to be of some concern and the super-sopper is working on it. And, it seems like the two captains are all set for the toss which is amazing news.

UPDATE 10.17 pm IST (4.47 pm GMT) - There will be an inspection at 10.25 pm IST (4.55 pm GMT)! We will get a final word regarding the fate of this game then and for now, cricketing fans all across the world will be praying that we do get a game. So, don't go anywhere as we bring you the latest updates.

UPDATE 10.05 pm IST (4.35 pm GMT) - There's some new and surprising development from the ground! The covers are being removed off the square as the rain has stopped but the major question is whether the ground can get ready in time or not. And if yes, will there be another burst of rain? A lot to figure out for the officials but for the time being the ground staff are doing everything possible. We might just get a game after all. Stick around for further updates. Just a few minutes later, there is a huge cheer from the crowd as the pitch gets uncovered.

UPDATE - 9.45 pm IST (4.15 pm GMT) - The rain is still persistent in Guwahati and the signs are looking very ominous now. The match seems to be heading towards a washout which is so frustrating for the players and fans both inside the stadium and all over the globe. Only a miracle can now save this game and we can only stay hopeful. Stick around as we might get some official word soon.

UPDATE 9.15 pm IST (3.45 pm GMT) - Not much to report from Guwahati apart from the fact that there are puddles forming square of the wicket. The cut-off time for a five-over match is 10.56 pm IST (5.16 pm GMT) but for now, we can only wait and watch. Stick around for more updates.

UPDATE 8.47 pm IST (3.17 pm GMT) - Finally, there is some good news from the ground as the rain seems to have stopped and the square covers are coming off. The ground staff are working around the clock to get the ground ready at the earliest and let's now hope that the rain doesn't return. We should have more news soon, so, stick around. And just a few minutes later folks, the rain has returned and it is a proper downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning. The covers also come back on and it seems like we will have a prolonged delay.

UPDATE 8.32 pm IST (3.02 pm GMT) - There is some positive news from the ground as the rain did get reduced to a drizzle a few minutes back but most of the ground is still under covers. We have already started losing overs and the hopes of play happening lie on when the rain completely stops. However, the ground staff have already started their work in few areas of the ground. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that we do get a game in. Stay tuned for more updates.

UPDATE - 8.05 pm IST (2.35 pm GMT) -  Unfortunately, there's not much news to add as the rain continues to be persistent. The entire playing area remains covered as we wait patiently for the weather to clear up. Stick around for further updates!

UPDATE 7.35 pm IST (2.05 pm GMT) - Not much to report from Guwahati at the moment and it is still raining out there which is not a great sign. However, there's still time before the game starts losing any overs, so, let's hope that the rain clears soon and the ground staff can get going with the drying process. Stick around for more updates.