The match was abandoned without a ball being bowled Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders
A combination of lightning and rain forced the first abandoned match of IPL 2024 in Ahmedabad on Monday, confirming two things: Kolkata Knight Riders' top-two finish in the league phase and Gujarat Titans' exit from the playoffs.
Only a win would have kept eighth-placed GT in the hunt, but the rain didn't even allow for a toss. Such was the intensity of the storm that some of the floodlights were also affected; banners in the stadium that had been torn earlier ended up wrapping the floodlights in such a way that they had to be removed by hand.
GT's task was already difficult. With a season-low net run-rate of -1.063, they were only mathematically alive, as even two big wins in their last two matches would've left them short. KKR were all but assured of a top-two finish thanks to their dominant net run-rate of 1.428 after 12 games, but a 19th point in the final standings sealed their fate.
This is the first time GT has failed to qualify for the IPL play-offs since joining the competition ahead of the 2022 season. They have a consolation game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 16 May.
Monday's game could've given KKR a chance to bring wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz into the XI. Gurbaz is the likely replacement in their XI once Phil Salt goes to the national team camp.
KKR's next target is to finish the league stage on top, something they have never done before. If they beat Rajasthan Royals in their final league game on Sunday, they will have done so. They would also be assured of the top spot if RR failed to pick up two wins in their last two matches, including the one against KKR.
Even if KKR doesn't finish first, they won't mind too much. The only two times they finished second in the IPL points table (2012 and 2014), they ended up as IPL champions.