Rain, the one thing that can ruin a cricket match, struck again as the IPL Playoffs Qualifier 1 between the Kings XI Punjab and the Kolkata Knight Riders was postponed by a day.
Persistent rains in Kolkata rendered the playing conditions at the Eden Gardens impossible, leaving umpires with little choice but to move Qualifier 1 to rest day on Wednesday.
The match, weather permitting, of course, will now be played at 4 pm tomorrow, with everyone, no doubt, keeping their fingers crossed that we will be able to get the 40 overs in.
"Following the heavy rain in Kolkata over the last two days, the umpires made an early inspection of the ground at the Eden Gardens at 5:15pm and determined, after consultation with the curator, that there was no possibility of the ground being fit for play today," a statement on IPL's official website said.
"As a result therefore, the 2014 Pepsi IPL Qualifier 1 playoff match between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders has been postponed to tomorrow, Wednesday 28 May, and is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm."
The moving of the match now means we are in for a double-header on Wednesday with the KXIP vs KKR match to be followed by the Eliminator between the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium.
If rain, which has come again and again over the past couple of days in Kolkata, refuses to go away then Kings XI Punjab will move into the final on account of finishing on top of the league table with an impressive 22 points.
KKR will then be relegated to Qualifier 2, where they will meet the winner between CSK and MI for a place in that much-coveted final in Bangalore on Sunday.
People with tickets for Qualifier 1, wondering what might happen to them, need not worry as the same ticket for today is valid for tomorrow afternoon's game.
"Ticketholders who purchased tickets for the original match day will be able to enter the stadium on Wednesday on presentation of their original ticket (with the bar code intact) at the turnstiles," the statement added. "Gates will open at 2:00pm.
"Refunds will only be made to ticket purchasers if the match is cancelled without a ball being bowled -- on either of the original day or the reserve day as per the terms and conditions which are stipulated on the tickets."
It would be a real pity if a full match is not able to go ahead on Wednesday, because watching the two in-form teams in IPL 2014 go hammer and tongs would have been a treat, especially at the wonderful Eden Gardens.
