What will happen if play is not possible during the IPL playoffs, including the final? Everything explained here:
One of the four teams -- Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore -- will be crowned Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 champions. But, what will happen if play is not possible during the IPL playoffs, including the final? Well, the BCCI has released the playing conditions ahead of Monday's Qualifier 1. (More Cricket News)
If any of the IPL playoff matches is disrupted by the weather or no play is possible in regulation time, then Super Over will decide the winners. The same goes for the final. The Super Over will start at 12.50 AM IST. This is the latest start time for these matches to finish.
For the final, though, there will be a reserve day. The IPL final on May 29 will start at 8 PM IST, which is half an hour later than the usual starting time. In case no play is possible after the toss, there will be a fresh toss on the reserve day. May 30 is the reserve day.
But there are no reserve days for playoffs. If one innings is completed but no play is possible in the second, then the DLS method will be applied to determine the winners.
And if the ground conditions continue to remain unplayable, then the league standings will be used to identify the winners. Gujarat Titans were the table toppers, followed by Rajasthan Royals, Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In the case where the Super Over is not possible, "the team that finished highest in the league table after the 70 matches of the regular season shall be declared the winner of the relevant playoff match or final", ESPNcricinfo reported quoting IPL guidelines on playing conditions for IPL playoffs.
Also, the organisers have added an extra two hours to the stipulated 200 minutes of match time. Meaning, the matches can start late if conditions are not ideal for the scheduled kick-off.
For example, the first three playoff matches can start as late as 9.40 PM IST, and the final can begin as late as 10.10 PM IST without any overs being lost. In such a case, there will two strategic timeouts per innings as usual, but the innings break will be reduced to half.
"The number of overs in the playoff match may, if necessary, be reduced so that each side has the opportunity to bat for five overs.
But, "there will be no timeouts for a five-overs-a-side game which will have a cut-off start time of four minutes before midnight (11.56pm) with a ten-minute innings break and a scheduled finish time of 12.50am. In case the final is reduced to a five-overs-a-side match, it would need to begin latest by 12.26am.
"For the Eliminator and each Qualifier playoff matches (where there is no reserve day), in the event that it is not possible to schedule a five-over match to complete by the end of the extra time on the original day, the teams will, if conditions permit, play a Super Over to determine the winner of the relevant Eliminator or Qualifier match," the guidelines added.
For the final, the Super Over will need to start by 1.20 AM IST.
"For the final, in the event that it is not possible to schedule a five over match to be completed by the end of the extra time on the reserve day, the teams will, if conditions permit, play a Super Over to determine the winner of the final. This means that the pitch and ground must be ready for play so that the Super Over can start at the latest by 1.20am (final)."
These guidelines are especially important considering the inclement weather forecast in West Bengal.
Qualifier 1: Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on May 24;
Eliminator: Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on May 25;
Qualifier 2: GT/RR vs LSG/RCB at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on May 27;
Final: TCB vs TBC at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on May 29.
IPL 2022 playoffs will be telecast live on Star Sports network. All five playoff matches can be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar.