The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing body, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) has relocated Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) final home fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), originally set for Friday, May 23, to Lucknow due to adverse weather conditions in South India. This means the Bengaluru-based franchise will play both of their matches against SRH and their final away fixture against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27 at the Ekana Stadium.
Pat Cummins-led SRH, who were supposed to travel to Bengaluru for their upcoming fixture, have been reportedly advised to stay in Lucknow for the RCB clash. IPL made this late change due to a yellow alert issued by the meteorological department in Bengaluru that has predicted "heavy to very heavy rainfall" in the city until Thursday.
Earlier, RCB's last clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was abandoned without a ball bowled after incessant rainfall at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Ahmedabad. Since then, RCB have stayed indoors owing to rains and thunderstorms that have ravaged all of Bengaluru and led to several parts of the city being waterlogged.
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RCB also reportedly informed about this update in the fixture just before the scheduled optional session. Apart from the RCB vs SRH clash, final of the marquee event, which was supposed to take place in Eden Gardens in Kolkata, has also been shifted to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad due to persistent rain in Kolkata. Ahmedabad will host Qualifier 2 on June 1.
The first two matches of the playoffs - Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will likely to be played in Mullanpur and New Chandigarh on May 29 and May 30, respectively. BCCI changed the venue for the knockouts and the title deciders because of he weather conditions, as the rainy season is slowly beginning to take effect in the country.