The BCCI’s schedule change at the last minute, accounting for possible rain disruptions, has led to several franchise owners requesting the board to counter the weather forecast in other cities as well, after the RCB vs SRH clash was moved out of Bengaluru.
Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal has written to the BCCI requesting the MI vs DC clash be moved out of Mumbai, keeping in mind the importance of the encounter and the yellow alert being issued due to heavy unseasonal rains in the city. As per ESPNCricinfo, Jindal in his mail to the BCCI referenced the schedule change which saw RCB vs SRH clash being shifted to Lucknow due to inclement weather in Bengaluru and hence, requested if the same could be done with the Wednesday clash in the city of dreams.
The weather in the Southern and Southwestern parts of the country hasn’t been great of late due to the untimely monsoon in May. RCB vs KKR clash in Bengaluru was washed out, Hyderabad is wet and hence that was already out of the picture with Delhi hosting SRH’s final home game while rains have been lashing several parts of Mumbai for the last few days and the forecast for Wednesday isn’t great.
“The forecast in Mumbai is for heavy rains and there is a strong likelihood that the game will be washed out,” he wrote. “Just as the game between RCB vs SRH has been moved out of Bengaluru in the quest for consistency and in the interest of the league it is my request that tomorrow’s game also be moved to a different location as we have known for the better part of 6 days that the forecast for 21st in Mumbai is for heavy showers,” Jindal wrote.
Delhi Capitals are currently on 13 points and if they win their last two fixtures, they will be through. A loss on Wednesday will knock the Capitals out. However, if the match is washed out, Mumbai Indians will go up to 15 and the Capitals up to 14 and if Mumbai Indians beat Punjab Kings in their final league stage game, they will go through irrespective of the result of the PBKS vs DC game, that’s how important the Wednesday clash is.
Yes, Delhi haven’t helped themselves by winning just one out of their last six matches (with one being washed out against SRH in Hyderabad), but given the start they had, they still have a chance to go through with a couple of matches remaining and will now hope that weather gods allow a result, even if it’s truncated game in Mumbai.
After the last-minute rule that saw Lucknow now being the venue for RCB vs SRH clash and extra 60 minutes being added to the playtime to cover for time lost by rain, potentially in the upcoming games, KKR were aggrieved as they too wrote to the BCCI expecting consistency in rules. RCB vs KKR clash was washed out in Bengaluru, but if there were an extra 60 minutes available, a 5-over-a-side clash might have been possible, as per KKR CEO Venky Mysore’s mail.