Bengaluru woke up to a clear morning on the day of
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
's (RCB) do-or-die clash against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) today, but the forecast for evening and night remains cloudy with possibillity of thunderstorm in some parts of the city.
RCB can't afford a washout or split points because that will take CSK through to the playoffs, where they will join table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
IPL 2024: Points Table | Results
Contesting for the lone playoff spot remaining, RCB have 12 points from 13 matches and CSK have 14 points from 13 matches. But RCB not only have to win but also ensure that their current net run-rate of +0.387 becomes better than CSK's +0.528 in order to qualify for the playoffs.
Coming back to weather, which could end up having a say in the final outcome, here's what's in store.
EVENING
Cloudy with a thunderstorm in parts of the area
Rain: 7.2 mm
Cloud Cover: 100%
NIGHT
Cloudy, a thunderstorm in parts of the area this eveing followed by a shower late
Rain: 9.3 mm
Hours of Rain: 3.5
Cloud Cover: 100%
Possibility of thunderstorms: 37%
WHAT RCB NEED TO QUALIFY FOR PLAYOFFS
In case RCB bat first and set CSK a target of 200 to win, then Faf du Plessis's team will have to win by a minimum of 18 runs to go past CSK's net run-rate and sneak into the playoffs.
If RCB chase a target of 201 or more, then they will have to win by a minimum of 11 balls to spare.
(Weather forecast sourced from accuweather.com)