Under the leadership of Pat Cummins, Sunrisers Hyderabad became the third team after Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals to book a place for the playoffs of IPL 2024. The feat came after the rain washed out the match between SRH and Gujarat Titans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.
Since the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled, SRH and GT were handed a point each. This took SRH's tally to 15 points, ensuring a playoff berth. For a top-two finish, SRH need to win their match against Punjab Kings on Sunday and hope that Rajasthan Royals lose against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Entry into the playoffs for SRH means that Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants are out of the race for the playoffs. Thus, the final spot for the playoffs will be sealed on Saturday in the all-important match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Rain began in Hyderabad hours before the match, leading to a post on social media by the Director of Enforcement, Vigilance, and Disaster Management of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, alerting citizens of expected heavy rainfall and advising them to plan their travel accordingly.
Visuals from the stadium showed the field covered in blue tarps with waterlogged patches forming in uncovered areas. Despite a break in the rain, which allowed the covers to be removed and super soppers to work, a drizzle returned minutes before the scheduled toss at 8pm, escalating to a heavy downpour that persisted.
At around 10pm, umpires Nand Kishore and Virender Sharma, equipped with umbrellas, consulted with the ground staff to assess the feasibility of preparing the field for a five-over match. Eleven minutes later, they concluded that conditions were unsuitable, and the captains were called to officially call off the game.
It was the first washout in IPL history for GT to experience back-to-back abandoned matches without a ball bowled. Shubman Gill's side was supposed to wear lavender jersey for the match to show support for cancer awareness, but the weather completely acted as the spoilsport to make it a very somber end to their IPL 2024 campaign.
