Right! That's all we have from Ahmedabad tonight. Turned out to be a grim affair. But the juggernaut rolls on in IPL 2024. Do join us for all the action tomorrow. On behalf of Ranjith and Vishal, goodbye and good night!
10:42pm This was the last home game for Titans in IPL 2024, and hence their desperation to try and get a game going was understandable. There were about 45,000 people at the venue, says Harsha Bhogle on air, and GT players are now taking a lap of the ground to thank their fans. Two seasons of topping the league stage, it was not to be this year.
Gill takes off his lavender jersey and gifts it to one lucky fan at the ground. It is a small kid, and he will remember this for a long, long time.
Mustafa Moudi : "Fun Fact: This will be first season since 2021 not to feature Shubman Gill in the IPL Final. He played the 2021 Final for KKR and the next 2 Finals for GT !!"
10:36pm Iyer and Gill get together and exchange the ribbons as part of the breast cancer awareness. And now, the match has been officially called off. Handshakes all around. Both teams get a point apiece.
KKR are assured a top two spot while Titans are officially out of the race for the playoffs.
10:30pm The mop up is in full swing. Even as members from KKR and GT are seen chatting in mixed groups, like they do after a game, Gill goes to the pitch, that has been uncovered for the first time today, bends down and inspects the 22-yard strip.
10:21pm Despite the drizzle, the covers are starting to come off. Most GT and KKR players are out in the middle. But it is still drizzling. Shubman Gill is in his GT's lavendar jersey, their special kit for breast cancer awareness. Just to make it clear, the pitch is still covered. It was the bigger cover on that that was removed.
Karthik: "10:56pm for the first ball to start (or) 10:56pm for the cleanup to start (or) 10:56pm for players to start warmup ?" For the game to start.
10:15pm Shubman Gill and Ashish Nehra and then Shreyas Iyer emerge from the dressing rooms and walk out to the middle. Gill and Iyer shake hands. The inevitable is close to happening. Nehra then comes around to give Iyer a hug and they are all waiting in the middle with the match officials involved in a discussion. Not sure what it is about. The drizzle is still there. And even after the rain stops completely, it will take at least half an hour for the ground to be ready. Remember, the cut-off time is 10:56pm for the start of a five-over game.
10:05pm Not great signs. The umpires are walking out to the middle and have the umbrellas wide open. Pictures do not show anything optimistic - the drizzle seems to be still there. Discussions still on between the officials.
In 86 days from today, Mirabai Chanu will climb the lifting platform at the Paris Olympics with a single goal in mind: to defend, if not better, her silver medal from Tokyo. And she's already identified a total weight she needs to lift to win that medal: 207kgs, which is 4.22 times her bodyweight.
Richard Pratt: "Phil Salt has scored most of his runs at Eden Gardens on the fast wicket. Given that KKR's playoffs and final are at Chennai, Gurbaz would be a good bet as he is used to playing on similar pitches back home in Afghanistan. Plays to KKR's advantage here."
9:30pm The rain has intensified and so, the wait continues. Once the rain stopped, they would need at least 40-45 minutes to get the ground ready. Remember, 10:56pm is the cut-off time for the start of a five-over game. Think the spectators at the venue are already resigned to their fate and the lower stands wear an empty look. Either people have started leaving or they are in the back rows to take shelter from the rain.
Pranali: "If today gets rained out, I don't think GT should complain. Their bowling attack was depleted with Shami out and Rashid coming back from back surgery. And they played like that was the case - I doubt even GT fans think they were one of the best four teams this season."
Ashal: "My XL, Openers: Abishek, Sai Sudharshan, Ruturaj (c), Middle: Rinku, Rayan, Shashank, DK, Spinners: Varun, Bishnoi/Ash, Pace: Natarajan, Bhuvi, Khaleel"
Giri: "It's really sad to see some of the regular till 6 months back are being overlooked in even in the second eleven. Hard luck KL , Shreyesh, Ishan Kishan this is based on current form only."
Sunny: "Im sure the SELECTORS might really be in a fix for finalizing the team for world. Its quite strenuous to make 2nd team also."
Milan: "Dhoni (C), Kishan, Gaikwad, Abhishek, Sai Sudarshan, Parag, Rinku, D.Chahar, Mayank Yadav, Bishnoi, Khaleel" Dhoni, eh!?
Avishek: "Here's my XI of uncapped playersOpeners: Abhishek, Porel (wk)Middle Order: Parag, Reddy, Shashank, AshutoshSpinners: Brar, KishoreFast Bowlers: Deshpande, Mayank, Rana / Arora / Simarjeet"
Divyesh: "My alternate XI 1. Ruturaj 2. Abhishek 3. Shubman 4. Kishan 5. Rinku 6. Jitesh 7. Ravi Ash 8. Bishnoi 9. Deepak Chahar 10. Sandeep 11. Bhuvi. Reserves - Tewatia, Harpreet Brar, Avesh, Tushar"
And here comes Sudarshanan with an update...
9.15pm So it looks like there will be an update coming soon. For now, I'm afraid, the rain has intensified and the wait continues...
9pm Time to send your own entries now for this. An India T20 World Cup XI from the players who have NOT been picked for the tournament...
"I'm surely having Dhoni in my alternate XI, and pack the XI with all-rounders having him slot in at 8. Too much of a captaincy conundrum in the Indian XI, plus when a collapse occurs, I always trust Dhoni more than the others." What about the other 10, Ramesh?
Nik: "Surprisingly no one has picked Harshal or Tushar D. who have been the highest wicket takers this season"
"If the teams split points today, it's obviously going to eliminate GT. What about KKR? Will their top-two position be confirmed?" Absolutely, Maya
PK: "My alternate 11 : Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, Riyan Parag, Nitesh Reddy, Shashank Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Harpreet Brar, Sandeep Sharma, Natarajan, Varun Chakravarthy "
Ansh: "My XI including those in the reserves list: Gill, Abhishek, Venky, Patidar, Tilak, Rinku, DK, Ash, Varun, Natrajan, Sandeep."
Krishi: "Kishan,Gaikwad(c),Abhishek,Sai Sudarshan, Parag, Rinku, krunal, D.Chahar, Mayank Yadav, Bishnoi, Khaleel. This would be mine :)"
"Hi Franklin, even on this page you can view the IST mentioned as ground time. So no need of calculations just keep an eye on ground time tab beside the commentators name" Hira! You're a true gem!
Vijit: "Ruturaj, Abhishek, Sai Sudharshan, Rinku, Tilak, Porel, Iyer, Bishnoi, Nattu, Bhuvi, Sandeep Sharma...Extra: Ishan, Nitish Reddy, Khaleel, VarunNo point sending Rinku so deep." Which Iyer, Vijit? You need to specify. And that's just four bowling options
Zayan: "1. Abhishek Sharma2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)3. Shashank Singh4. Rajat Patidar5. Ashutosh Sharma6. KL Rahul (WK)7. Harshit Rana8. Vaibhav Arora9. Varun Chakaravaty10. Simarjeet Singh11. Sai Kishore"
Wow, Harshit Rana at 7? Brave
"Got my finals tomorrow. I think this rain is God's way of telling me to study" Go Chavi, go!
"I see lot of clock timings mentioned in IST. Are there any tool that would convert it to be read in local timezone?" Where are you, Franklin? I have lots of free time tonight and happy to calculate for you. But just for today
"Hi, just logged in. When is the toss and when is the match expected to start?" Morning, Leo. There's still a lot of water on the field so toss isn't anytime soon...
Fadil: "Narine should open with gurbaz to get them used to opening with salt at 3 and Chetan Sakaria in for starc"
8.45pm A fair bit of activity and movement around the covers on the pitch now but they're not working on the water puddles or the wet patches around the pitch. So no signs of any real improvement yet, but at least it's not raining again.
Taposh Roy: "How many balls do we lose per minutes?" It's about an over every five minutes. So at 9pm we'd have lost five overs.
abhisaini: "I feel with the more explosive batting line-up, a 5 over game would favor KKR.."
"No point in having 5 over shoot out - just share the points :)" Wait till Gujarat Titans read this, Santhosh
"Are we losing any overs?" Yep, Zayan, since 8.35pm IST
SharatOjha: "Depleted just by Hardik Pandya, the fall of GT is really srprising.. And at the same time the change in management (Gambhir) has created the difference for KKR.. Both incidents shows the importance of a good management for a franchaise.. " It's more than to do with Hardik, surely. Their powerplay bowling took a hit without Shami
"Does your tweet on England players leaving for T20 WC mean that all those players will be unavailable even before playoffs or will they play their last league matches this week before leaving?" The ones mentioned in the story have left the building, G Raghunathan
8.29pm Some movement among the ground staff as the rain has subsided, they've been joined by some of the match officials. And the latest update is that it's almost stopped raining and the super-soppers are out there, doing their thing. The latest a five-over shootout can start at is 10.56pm
"Can we expect play to start at least by 9.00 PM IST. " That is pretty much impossible right now, Venkat
It's election season, people. So time to vote:
8.15pm Howdy people? I'm afraid I don't bring any news yet, so it's neither good nor bad. Some spectators are returning towards their seats after taking cover for the heavier rain sometime back. It feels like it's come down to a drizzle now.
"Precipitation satellite map shows no rain now on ward over Ahmedabad" Nik, were you watching Swades till now waiting for the toss?
"Is center cover removed now ?" Not yet, sorry, SharatOjha because still drizzling out there
Shadow-Shell: "When do we start losing overs? 8:30?" I think 8.35pm but we'll confirm that soon.
Meanwhile, imagine this: You've been a first division striker for all of your decade-plus career. You're top scorer of your LaLiga team, when you decide suddenly that you want to go home and help save you're struggling hometown club. But it'll cost you Rs 4.5 Crores, a tenfold cut in salary, and a two-level drop. It makes no sense, but sometimes, sport is about love, and not much else. This is the story of Lucas Perez's eternal love for Deportivo La Coruna.
8:10pm The lightning has been frequent, and so the centre covers have stayed unmoved. Hopefully not too long before at least the rest of the floodlights come on. For now, time to welcome Vishal here. Be kind to him ;) and let's hope he brings in some better news.
7:50pm A fair-sized crowd at the venue, but like us, they have been kept waiting, too. The remaining floodlights are yet to be switched on, and the centre is under covers because the rain seems to have become heavier.
Samarth: "If it gets washed out, it would be heart breaking for GT. Nobody wants to lose their playoff chance getting ruined by rain." Even if their chances were minimal.
Vismay: "Starc should play all remaining matches unless he's injured or he himself wants rest. Momentum and being in rhythm is a necessary thing for pace bowlers. "
7:23pm A slight drizzle now as the centre covers are firmly on. Some of the GT flags that are generally put on the roof of the stadium, have come off and are hanging on some parts of the floodlights, which is why not all of them were on. But now slowly, one part of the ground is moving away from darkness as the floodlights partly come on.
ICYMI, England players' exodus from the IPL has already began, with Buttler, Jacks, Topley and Livingstone already on their way home
Joe: "@Mustafa, If you were to bring in Gurbaz, it's to partner with Narine so they can develop a partnership. It doesn't make sense to mess with Narine's position so close to the playoffs. "
Kamal Andiwal: " Now that KKR has secured a spot in the semis, it's the perfect opportunity for the team to explore its bench strength. Looking forward to seeing Gurbaz and the young Afghan spinner in action today!"
7:15pm The covers are back on, even though there is no rain. The floodlights continue to be switched off. There is frequent lightning there but I am not 100% sure if that has something to do with the floodlights not being on.
Mustafa Moudi: "Since Salt is set to miss the Playoffs and KKR have already qualified. I would suggest dropping Starc and Rinku for Chetan Sakariya and Gurbaz. Let Gurbaz and Salt open for KKR. This way he would get some game time, instead of directly playing the Playoffs. Also, Both Rinku and Starc havent done anything significant this season so dropping them wont affect them much !!" On the contrary, Varun Aaron would like to see Starc bowl his full quota
7:05pm The centre covers have been removed but the floodlights are yet to be switched on. The wait goes on...
6:57pm Toss has been delayed due to incessant lightning
Phil Salt: "Chat before the game was choosing your attitude today. We have come here and still looking for the two points. I have a bit more hair and lean muscle [than former KKR opener Chris Lynn]. You want to come in and do well. Lynny did that for a few years. I want to perform to the best of my ability. There are a lot of different surfaces in India, the stuff about black soil and red soil. As much as anything else, it is about assessing and adapting on the day. Our point of difference is we have got Sunny [Sunil Narine]. He frees the rest of the guys up to play the way they like. He's very chilled, as am I, in the middle."k
krishna: "hope josh little gets a game.. he missed the ireland series to play the ipl"
6:50pm KKR are in the playoffs already and they are likely to miss the services of Phil Salt. And so, should KKR prepare for that scenario and give Rahmanullah Gurbaz an outing today? Mitchell McClenaghan and Varun Aaron certainly think so. Even Ashish Pant makes a case for it in his match preview.
Ranjit b: "My mind has stopped working doing combination, can you provide me clear picture of teams' qualification combinations? S Rajesh has you covered
samir dave: "Serious thought should be given to the idea of introducing collapsible roofs in cricket stadiums to mitigate rain interruptions. Its an intriguing one and has been discussed in the past, but now the time is ripe enough for the authorities to execute and implement the same. Such rain affected games can have severe repercussions on the qualifications dynamics which won't impress fans/teams alike."
6:40pm Looks like there is no rain at the moment in Ahmedabad but there is water accumulated on the centre cover.
GT had topped the league stage in each of their first two years in 2022 and 2023, but it is likely that they miss out on the playoffs this time. They have a net run rate of -1.063, and even if they manage to get to 14 by winning their remaining two games, that figure could come back to haunt them. S Rajesh has more about the scenarios for each of the teams in contention.
Meanwhile, you can follow the ball-by-ball coverage of this game in Hindi, too.
6:30pm Hello hello! Good evening. It is match No. 63 in Ahmedabad where Kolkata Knight Riders, almost assured of a top two spot, take on hosts Gujarat Titans. The western coast of India has had a stormy weather with a dust storm blowing over Mumbai a couple of hours ago. A similar storm was followed by light rain in Ahmedabad. Will that delay the toss and start? Could be as the centre is firmly under covers and the grey clouds are only slowly moving away. But don't you worry, you can get updates about all that transpires in Ahmedabad tonight with me, S Sudarshanan, and Vishal Dikshit. Stick around.
