Kolkata: With the IPL caravan now moving to Kolkata for the playoffs, it would be interesting as weather and the rain gods may play a part. There are forecasts of rain in the early part of the week and that could be worrying for players and fans.
All the four teams are expected to be in the city by the afternoon. A eliminator and a qualifier would be played here before the two teams head to Ahmedabad for the last two games.
Gujarat Titans take on Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1 and then Lucknow lock horns with Bangalore in the eliminator. The loser of the Qualifier 1 would take on the winner of Eliminator in Qualifier 2.
So, what happens in case of a rain washout?
The chances of rain is there in Kolkata and taking that into consideration, there will be a Super Over to decide the winner of the game. Also, an allowance of an extra two hours over the stipulated 200 minutes of match time has been added to the playing conditions. This means that the Eliminator and the two Qualifiers can start as late as 9:40 PM IST, whereas the final can start at 10:10 PM IST.
The strategic timeouts will remain as it is and only the mid-innings break would be shorter – this is in case of a delayed start.
“The number of overs in the playoff match may, if necessary, be reduced so that each side has the opportunity to bat for five overs,” the guidelines said.
“For the Eliminator and each Qualifier playoff matches (where there is no reserve day), in the event that it is not possible to schedule a five-over match to complete by the end of the extra time on the original day, the teams will, if conditions permit, play a Super Over to determine the winner of the relevant Eliminator or Qualifier match,” the guidelines added.
Schedule of the IPL 2022 Playoffs:
May 24: Qualifier 1 – Team 1 vs Team 2, Kolkata
May 25: Eliminator – Team 3 vs Team 4, Kolkata
May 27: Qualifier 2 – Winner of Eliminator vs Loser of Qualifier 1, Ahmedabad
May 29: Final – Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, Ahmedabad
Women’s T20 Challenge
May 23: Match No.1, Pune (19:30 IST)
May 24: Match N.2, Pune (15:30 IST)
May 26: Match No.3, Pune (19:30 IST)
May 28: Final, Pune (19:30 IST)
