Incessant rainfall for the past few days in the city led to the postponement of the first qualifier of IPl-7 between hosts Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab scheduled at the Eden Gardens, here on Tuesday.
The match will now be held at the same venue at 4 pm on Wednesday. In case the weather holds up in time, there is a possibility of a five-overs per side game by 9:10 pm latest.
At 5:15 pm on Tuesday, on-field umpires Nigel llong and S Ravi had an inspection along with curator Prabir Mukherjee. After consultations, the trio were unanimous in their decision that no play would be possible as the ground would not be ready in time for a minimum five-overs per side match.
As per the playing conditions and rules of IPl, in the event that a five-overs per side game is not possible, the fate of the match will be decided on the basis of ‘Super Over’.
In case Super Over is not possible, then Kings XI Punjab by virtue of winning 11 matches in the league stage compared to KKR’s nine games, will go through to the finals.
However KKR will have another shot at final as they will be playing the second qualifier against the winner of the ‘Eliminator’ between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, on May 30.
The Eden Gardens has a full cover for the entire ground but the low pressure-induced downpour since Sunday afternoon meant it had stayed under the thick cover and the CAB says it needs at least six hours of a dry spell to dry it up.
“Even if we don’t get a bright sunny day, a dry spell of five-six hours in the morning would be enough to make the ground ready,” CAB joint-secretary Subir Ganguly told reporters after the match was postponed to the reserve day on Wednesday.