Rain knocks out Kolkata off playoffs race, RCB step closer to next stage

RCB tops the points table after match cancelled due to incessant rain and both teams sharing a point each

Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru moved a step closer to the IPL playoffs, while defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders were knocked out of the race as incessant rain washed out their match here on Saturday, forcing the teams to settle for a point apiece.

Rain of varying intensity that started around 6 pm never relented as even the toss could not take place, and the officials eventually called off the game at 10.24 pm.

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The Royal Challengers now have 17 points from 12 matches, and a win from their remaining two games will be enough for them to seal a berth in the playoffs.

Currently, they are the table-toppers ahead of Gujarat Titans (16 points).

The RCB will face the already-ousted Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on May 23 followed by the away game against Lucknow Super Giants on May 27.

However, the Knight Riders’ stuttering campaign in this IPL season came to an end with this washout.

KKR now have 11 points from 13 matches and it is impossible for them to enter the knockouts even if they win their final league game against Hyderabad to increase their tally to 15 points.

 

Fans wear white jerseys to honour Kohli’s Test retirement

‘Every single one of us loves you Virat Kohli. Thank you for making Red Ball cricket exciting again’ — read a huge banner unfurled by fans near the Roger Binny Stand.

Despite the relentless rain that washed out Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday became a beating theatre of white for one man — Virat Kohli, offering a fitting tribute to a cricketer who gave his everything for the format that is played in white.

It was an organic outpouring of affection for a player who placed Test cricket in the public conscience and was its most persuasive ambassador.

It was clear that the day belonged to Kohli as the fans queued up in white outside the stadium as early as 4.30 pm, carrying placards and wearing a white jersey with the famed No. 18 embossed on the back.

They wanted to catch a glimpse of Kohli, who generally sits in the front row of the team bus, hoping to get a glance back or a quick wave.

“Sir, avaru yavaga baruthare? (When will he come?),” an impatient fan would ask a group of scribes while walking through the ever-swelling crowd.

It was not just peak fandom. It mirrored the deep connection the city has developed with Kohli over the last 18 years.

All through these years, Kohli remained an unwavering RCBian, and the red and gold jersey was like a second skin for him.