Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are set to lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Eliminator match on Wednesday (May 25) but the rain god has interrupted the toss which casts doubt on the quintessential match.
Covers have been brought up as the wind at the Eden Gardens stadium has picked up.
It is worth noting that there is no reserve day for the Eliminator match and if by any chance the match is washed out, the KL Rahul-led LSG will go through the Qualifier because they finished higher on the IPL 2022 points table, just one above the fourth placed Faf Du Plessis' side.
Meanwhile, as per the playoffs guidelines, in case the match gets delayed in the first three playoff fixtures, the game can commence at 9:40 pm and the final game can start at 10:10 pm.
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," read the IPL guidelines.
No timeouts will be in place for a five-over innings. The cut-off start time for the same would be 11.56 PM and 12.26 AM for the final. For the Super Overs to begin, it should be at 12.50 AM and 1.20 AM for the playoffs and final, respectively.
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.
Talking about the match, both the team would want to win the match and take a step toward IPL final.
Kohli's return to form will be a big plus to their top-order which often has struggled to fire in the power-play.
Dinesh Karthik's finishing exploits, coupled with a quality pace trio in Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Harshal Patel would look to embrace the seam-friendly Eden conditions. Faf du Plessis's calm and astute captaincy will help RCB be upbeat in their fight for an elusive IPL title.
When it comes to the Lucknow Super Giants, they have one of the best opening pairs this season, and the KL Rahul - de Kock partnership against KKR was a perfect example of that. QdK played a breathtaking knock to knockout the Knight Riders, but he also gave plenty of chances which were put down. In Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan and Jason Holder, LSG have a sharp bowling attack.
