Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) may see their hopes of securing a vital 16-point finish dashed, as persistent rain threatens to disrupt their high-stakes encounter against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
In the days leading up to the match, Bengaluru has been drenched by continuous rainfall, and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast further showers or thundershowers in the afternoon or evening on match day.
The weather has already disrupted preparations for both teams. CSK’s training session was cut short after just 45 minutes on the field, while RCB’s evening session had to be cancelled altogether due to a prolonged downpour that lasted nearly three hours. Thunderstorms and lightning added to the chaos, resulting in waterlogging across several areas of the city.
Chennai, already out of playoff contention with only two wins from ten matches, find themselves at the bottom of the table. RCB, on the other hand, are sitting third with seven wins and three losses, making this a crucial game for their push toward the top of the standings.
Notably, last month’s game in Bengaluru against Punjab Kings was also shortened due to rain, with only 14 overs per side played.
This will be Chennai’s first visit to the Chinnaswamy Stadium since their dramatic face-off in 2024, where RCB pulled off a memorable 27-run victory to clinch a playoff spot. In the current season, RCB also broke a long-standing jinx by winning at Chepauk for the first time since 2008, registering a dominant 50-run win over CSK.
With the weather playing spoilsport, RCB fans will be hoping for a clear window to keep their team’s playoff ambitions alive.
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni(w/c), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Anshul Kamboj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, Shreyas Gopal, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Lungi Ngidi, Philip Salt, Nuwan Thushara, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh
