The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 returned to action after a 10-day break on a damp note with heavy rains causing the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders to be abandoned at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
It also resulted in Kolkata Knight Riders getting knocked out of the competition with no hopes of making it to the playoffs.
Rain started early in the evening and did not subside till late at night, and the match was abandoned without the toss being held.
The result was that both teams got a point. Royal Challengers Bengaluru moved up to 17 points from 12 matches with eight wins and three defeats, while this wash-out ended Kolkata Knight Riders' hopes of reaching the playoffs, as the defending champions now have 12 points from 13 matches.
RCB are now assured of a place in the playoffs. However, the one point they lost on Saturday may hamper their chances of finishing in the top two spots, which would deny them a second chance in the playoffs. The team losing the matchup between teams placed in the top two positions will get to play against the winner of the match between third and fourth-placed teams, thus getting another shot at the title.
It was also a frustrating night for Virat Kohli fans who were planning to honour his recent retirement from Test by wearing all-white attire for the match. The rain meant that the players did not get to step out of their respective dressing rooms, thus denying the fans a glimpse of Kohli.
The IPL 2025 was suspended on May 9 because of the violent conflict between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack on innocent tourists at Pahalgam, to which Indian responded with Operation Sindoor to target the terror infrastructure in Pakistan. Pakistan retaliated with missiles and drone attacks on Indian cities along the Northern and Western borders, but those attempts were thwarted by the Indian defence forces.
