IPL 2025: Rain ends KKR's Playoff hopes in RCB clash?

The Rain Gods seemed to have no mercy on the huge crowd gathered at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to watch Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). As Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 returned after a one-week suspension caused by rising cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, fans wanted to experience a good game of cricket.

However, it kept pouring since the two teams arrived at the venue, with only a brief pause before the rain returned—and it showed no signs of stopping. This is a must-win match for KKR to keep their Playoff hopes alive, while RCB, currently sitting in second place, will secure a spot in the Top 4 with a victory. 

4 hours of relentless rain can’t dampen the spirit of our 12th Man Army! 🥹

Love. ❤️
Respect. 🫡
12th Man Army, you’re the best! 🫶 pic.twitter.com/m9G3ljY5xa

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 17, 2025

However, the heavy and persistent rain continued to threaten the match and finally the decision was taken to be called off without the toss taking place. So now what happens?

Rain ends KKR's Playoff hopes?

The cut-off time for a 5-over match was 10:56 PM, but the way it was raining, the decision was taken to call off the game. With the game getting washed out, the points are split and KKR officially become the fourth team to be knocked out of IPL 2025. The defending champions had an inconsistent season and now have no shot at making the Playoffs. 

🚨 Update 🚨

The toss has been delayed due to rain. Stay tuned for further updates.#TATAIPL | #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/AQzBqFNV6M

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 17, 2025

As for RCB, who currently have 17 points, sit at the top of the table. They could still miss out on a Playoffs spot only under a very specific scenario—assuming there are no more washouts. 

This would require Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI) to both finish with 18 or more points, creating a three-way tie involving them, Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Delhi Capitals (DC), where Net Run Rate (NRR) becomes the deciding factor. 

For that scenario to play out: 

- PBKS and DC must both win tomorrow, 

- DC must defeat PBKS, and 

- MI must win both their remaining games. 

Currently, RCB hold the best NRR among the three teams, though the margin isn't significantly large. That said, RCB will confirm their Playoffs spot if either PBKS or DC lose their respective matches tomorrow.   

RCB vs KKR: Squads

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Swapnil Singh, Philip Salt, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Josh Hazlewood  

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Mayank Markande, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Spencer Johnson, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Rovman Powell, Chetan Sakariya