First IPL qualifier postponed due to rain

Incessant rain in Kolkata has caused the authorities to postpone Qualifier 1 to 4 pm on Wednesday.

STORM ALERT: What's worse is that there is a storm forecast for Kolkata on Wednesday.

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab IPL qualifier at Eden Gardens has been postponed to Wednesday due to torrential rain in Kolkata. The match will be played at 4 pm, while the eliminator in Mumbai, between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, will be played at 8 pm as scheduled.

If the weather or ground conditions do not permit a full game in Kolkata on Wednesday as well, overs will be reduced till it is a five-over-a-side affair. If even that is not possible, as per the playing conditions, the winner will be decided via a Super Over. The latest the Super Over can begin is 9.10 pm.

If that, too, is ruled out, then the side which finished the league stage with more wins - that is, Kings XI - will go through to the final. Thundershowers "in spots" are forecast for Kolkata for Wednesday.

The ground had been fully under covers and the outfield was under ankle-deep water in places due to torrential rain lashing the city, PTI reported. At 5.15 pm, umpires Nigel Llong and S Ravi inspected the ground with curator Prabir Mukherjee and decided that it was impossible for it to be made match-fit in time for even a five-overs-a-side game today, prompting the early postponement.

"Ticket-holders 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. Gates will open at 2.00 pm," PTI quoted the IPL's media advisory as saying. "Refunds will only be made to ticket purchasers if the match is cancelled without a ball being bowled."

AFTER GROUND INSPECTION
“Match referee Roshan Mahanama has announced the cancellation of the match because of rain. He made the decision after inspecting the ground along with the umpires. The match will now be played Wednesday,” Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Subir Ganguly said.

The match has now been scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday. The organisers have also announced that tickets for the original match day (Tuesday) will be valid for Wednesday. Refunds will only be made to ticket purchasers if the match is cancelled without a ball being bowled.

Both the teams had to cancel their match-eve practice Monday after the Eden Gardens was lashed with rain. The scenario remained the same Tuesday with the ground getting soaked following frequent spells of rain.

If it is not possible to complete the Qualifier 1, Kings XI, having finished on top of the league, will advance through to the final to be played in Bangalore June 1 while Knight Riders will play the Qualifier 2 May 30 against the winner of the Eliminator.