New Delhi, May 20: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will not play their final home fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in the ongoing IPL 2025 season "due to unfavourable weather conditions in Bengaluru". The IPL has officially relocated their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), originally scheduled for Friday, May 23 in Bengaluru, to the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

The decision was taken after a meeting between BCCI and IPL officials on Tuesday, following the yellow alert issued by the Indian Meteorological Department warning of "heavy to very heavy rainfall" in Bengaluru through Thursday.

The change in venue means RCB will now play both their remaining league fixtures in Lucknow. They will face SRH on May 23 and then take on hosts Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27 at the same venue.

In light of these logistical challenges and weather risks, the BCCI has also confirmed the finalised venues for the IPL 2025 Playoffs.

Mullanpur’s New Chandigarh Stadium will host Qualifier 1 on May 29 and the Eliminator on May 30 while Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium will stage Qualifier 2 on June 1 and the grand finale on June 3. These games were originally slotted to be held in Hyderabad and Kolkata, but had to be reassigned for the same weather-related reasons.

Confirming the decision, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal told IANS, "IPL Match No. 65 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 23 has been shifted to Lucknow's Ekana Stadium following adverse weather reports. The decision was taken after the BCCI and IPL officials' meeting on Tuesday. Also, the playoffs matches will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium (Final, June 3 and Qualifier 2, June 1), Ahmedabad, and Mullanpur Stadium (Qualifier 1, May 29 and Eliminator, May 30), New Chandigarh, due to the same reason."

"Similar to the playoffs stage, an additional one hour will be allocated to the playing conditions for the remaining matches of the league stage, starting Tuesday, May 20," the IPL said in a statement.

RCB’s previous fixture at home, against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), was abandoned without a ball bowled owing to relentless rainfall. Since then, the city has experienced severe weather disruptions, including thunderstorms and widespread waterlogging. The continued adverse weather made the scheduling of another high-stakes encounter in Bengaluru untenable.

The reshuffle comes after a week-long suspension of the tournament earlier this month due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. That suspension saw the league pause on May 9 and resume on May 17, with the final now pushed from May 25 to June 3.

Meanwhile, the playoff race is heating up. Three teams - Punjab Kings (PBKS), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Gujarat Titans (GT) - have already confirmed their qualification. Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI) are in a neck-and-neck battle for the fourth and final spot for the knockout stages.

(IANS)

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