Match deserted and not using a ball bowled Gujarat TItans vs Kolkata Knight Riders
A mixture of lightning and rain compelled the primary deserted sport of IPL 2024 in Ahmedabad on Monday, and within the course of confirmed two issues: Kolkata Knight Riders’ top-two end within the league stage and Gujarat Titans’ elimination from playoff competition.
Solely a win may’ve saved eighth-placed GT within the hunt, however rain didn’t even enable for a toss. Such was the storm’s depth that some floodlights had been additionally affected; banners within the stadium that bought torn earlier ended up wrapping the floodlights in such a approach that they wanted to be manually eliminated.
GT’s job was uphill anyway. With the season’s lowest web run-rate of -1.063, they had been solely mathematically alive as even two huge wins of their final two video games may’ve nonetheless left them brief. KKR had been nearly assured of a top-two end courtesy their dominating web run-rate of 1.428 after 12 video games, however a nineteenth level of their tally sealed that.
That is the primary time that GT haven’t certified for the IPL playoffs since they joined the competitors earlier than the 2022 season. They’ve a comfort sport in opposition to Sunrisers Hyderabad subsequent on Might 16.
Monday’s sport may’ve given KKR an opportunity to ease Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the wicketkeeper-batter, into the XI. Gurbaz is the possible substitute of their XI as soon as Phil Salt leaves to affix his nationwide workforce camp.
For KKR, their subsequent goal is to complete the league stage at No. 1, one thing they’ve by no means achieved earlier than. In the event that they beat Rajasthan Royals of their final league sport on Sunday, they’re assured of that. They might even be assured of No. 1 if RR fail to gather two wins of their final two matches, which incorporates the KKR fixture.
Even when KKR don’t end first, they would not thoughts it a lot. The one two occasions they completed second on the IPL factors desk (2012 and 2014), they ended up as IPL champions.
