Ashish Nehra, Mohammed Shami and Shubman Gill share a moment of light as rain affects the IPL final. Show

The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) Final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad was affected by rain and the game was called off without a ball being kicked. The final will now be played on reserve day (Monday 29 May). The rain stop provided a rare opportunity for cricketers to go wild at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. GT cricketers Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami along with head coach Ashish Nehra were on the pitch amid the hailstorm and they were trying to catch the hail in a light moment. They were having a great time and the video went viral on social media.

Update

It’s raining 🌧️ in Ahmedabad & the TOSS has been delayed!

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Follow the game https://t.co/IUkeFQS4Il#TATAIPL | #Final | #CSKvGT pic.twitter.com/eGuqO05EGr

– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 28, 2023

The 2023 Indian Premier League final was moved to the scheduled day on Sunday after incessant rain delayed the draw and subsequently the start of the summit showdown. The announcement was made at 10:55 p.m. local time.

The title clash between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings will therefore be played at Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday.

With the weather forecast not too promising for Sunday’s final, it only got worse for the fans who had come to refuel.

It started raining here in the evening half an hour before the time of the draw – around 6.30pm local time – and didn’t stop for much longer at least for the next two and a half hours.

The rain, however, stopped after 9:00 p.m. local time and the covers were removed, with two super soppers already in action from around 8:30 p.m. IST.

However, heavy rain returned to force the ground staff to cover the pitch again and the players off the pitch, who had started to warm up.

There were serious puddles on the covers and exposed parts of the outfield, which would have taken field staff over an hour to clear, assuming the rain had stopped.

As per the rules, the IPL Finals will have a reserve day – Monday May 29 in this year’s case – in case the match cannot start at the 12.06pm deadline, in which case there will be a five-overs contest per side.

There’s no such rain forecast here on Monday, which means there’s full possibility of a 20-20 game.

(With PTI inputs)