RCB vs SRH, 29th match at Bengaluru, Apr 25 2017, Indian Premier League

ABANDONED
29th match (N), Bengaluru, April 25, 2017, Indian Premier League

Match abandoned without a ball bowled

Match centre 
Comms: Deivarayan Muthu

11pm Sunrisers support staff are out to clear warm-up equipment says Varun. One of them has looked at the crowd in the gallery and signalled to them that it is off.

And now it's official: the match has been called off without even the coin going up. The rain has the final say in Bengaluru. Both sides get a point each. That is that. Hopefully, the weather is brighter at your end. Goodbye and good night

10.35pm "It is pouring now and the stands have started emptying," says Varun.

10.10pm It does not look good at the Chinnaswamy. "The groundstaff, on standby for nearly 40 minutes, have now got up off the square after a proper soaking. Only to walk off the ground," says Varun

10.05pm Nothing new to report. The rain refuses to relent. Royal Challengers and their fans continue to wait anxiously.

9.30pm Mehul: "Updates from Varun please". Here you go: "A conference happening now between umpires and curator. Groundstaff on standby." The wait continues

Mithun: "@Kl the WI vs Pak game seems to be ending soon too. Plan for a good book or a movie. "

KL: "No game? What am I going to do with my evening now??" --- If you're bored of waiting, you could pop over to the West Indies-Pakistan Test

8.55pm sixty: "when do we start losing overs" --- No official word yet. The rain is lighter now, and the groundstaff is out, lifting the weights off the covers. Umpires Erasmus and Shamshuddin are also out for an inspection

"Erasmus walking back in. No cigar."

"Moody and Vettori have had chats with the umpires. I'm no body language expert, but it looks like it took some convincing from Erasmus to satisfy both their queries," says Varun."Still a gentle drizzle around. Staff waiting by the square for further instructions. They think the rain will stop soon. The forecast says by 9.30 pm."

Ankur: "last time Chinnaswamy hosted an ipl match on this date was exactly 5 years ago in 2012 and that match was also affected by rain and eventually called-off."

8.25pm It was drizzling when Varun left for a dinner break. He is back now and it's raining cats and dogs. Think the cut-off time for a five-over shootout is 11.26pm

Munish Dhanwani: "Is there any official confirmation about irfan pathan joining gujrat lions as bravo's replacement?" --- Here you go

Rishav: "One must play 5 genuine bowlers if its 5over shootout. Bhuvi Nehra Fizz Rasid and Kaul will be my 5. Rcb will find it even tough then."

Revi: "Hey ppl!! Argh! I'm getting frustrated. Already broke my phone charger! Will the rain stop?? Ah. Rain pls have mercy." --- We have no powers, Revi. Hang on

Stof: "I don't know the local players that well, but if this went to 5 over game, i'd send out Warner and Hooda. He plays like one of those batsman who gets his eye in by attacking from ball one. A quick 20 of 8 balls type of batsman which is ideal for the situation."

TejaMainHoon: "If it is called off, RCB might finally get some points on the board, and SRH get some for an away game - win win for fans from both sides?" --- RCB are in a much desperate situation. They need to start winning

Gujarat Lions, meanwhile, have arrived in Bangalore. Finch and Roy were on the tuk tuk. (did they escape the rain?)

Fidlerrr: "@KL. I hope it hasn't ! :). Might mean some game time for Roy who is largely warming the bench, missing him at Surrey!"

KL: "Hope Finch's kit also arrived safely :D"

8.20pm James : "Cheer up. Manchester is currently getting rain mixed with sleet or hail. Not good for late April."

8.05pm "While you wait further for the game to begin, here's some reading material from our friends at ESPN India. Maria Sharapova is ready to emerge from her 15-month ban and reclaim her place atop the tour. But is her return really a distraction from deeper issues?"

zafarjaveds: "@Zaheer: If they have Virat, ABD and Gayle then we have Warner, Henriques and Yuvraj."

Gnayyarg: "Such an underdog he was his entire life. I am shocked to see the likes of Mishras and Chawlas and Nadeems ahead of Hogg. He performed not just as a bowler but also as a fielder. Don't remember him drop many. Always fielded like a 16 year old unlike the three I mentioned. He will be my other pick any day of the week. Oh yeah, the first one needs not any mention. He is the unanimous choice. "

Bhavik: "Just read an article about the world class drainage system in Chinnaswamy stadium. Can someone explain how the drainage one works? The one specifically at Chinnaswamy." --- Ceding the stage to Akshay

The installation of a subsurface aeration system, that draws out water even as it begins to rain, and a sand-base outfield, could end long waits and cancellations at matches in Bangalore

Nikhilesh: "You mean a spinner other than Narine" --- Ha! Narine is running away, isn't he?

7.55pm While it continues to rain, put the selector's hat on and pick your two spinners for our all-time IPL XI

Zaheer: "Any rain-reduced match benefits heavy batting side like RCB. Gayle, Kohli, and AB can be difficult to stop in shortened games."

7.40pm "Almost everybody is off now. The drizzle has grown into a shower," says Varun from the ground."Henriques is itching to get out, it seems - he endures the rain and is knocking a few. Pravin Tambe touching up on his football and has just hit a 20-touch volley streak. His younger team-mate Siraj seems very impressed."

7.32pm Yikes, we might be in for a longer delay. "Aravind and Negi bowl one warm-up ball each….and the drizzle is back," says Varun. "The pitch is being covered again. And now the bigger covers for the square are being dragged back on."

"The last match we bowled really well, but it was MS Dhoni," says Bhuvneshwar Kumar. "We are up for this match, though. I don't know what's the key to take wickets. I just follow the basics. I am just bowling yorkers and slower balls. IPL has a lot of travelling, it is not an easy format. Winning the final here is a good memory; hoping for a full match. We don't want to have a shortened game against these guys. There is some rain in the air, so length ball might be useful. Not sure, however, we will have to assess the conditions."

Ravi Chavali: "Irony is Varun giving a report about rain!"

Barath: "RCB should play Vishnu in place of Mandeep and use Jadhav against the left- hander heavy top order of SRH. All their other spinners bring the ball back into the left handers. And I don't think Mandeep can do something with the bat which Kohli, ABD, Gayle and Jadhav can't"

7.30pm The toss has been delayed by just 10 minutes.

7.25pm Varun brings us good news from the Chinnaswamy: The square is now clear of covers. Sunrisers are ready for the warm-ups. The coaches Moody and Vettori are having a chat near the middle of the pitch

RCB are hoping not to capsize. Sunrisers are still searching for their first away win of the season. Sreshth Shah sets up the scene in the preview.

7.20pm "Proper Bangalore rain display. Just as they got one new cover on, it stopped drizzling. Completely. Wide long-off is now cover-free. Long-on should be next."

Karthik Narendr: "Relax people. Bangalore has a new drainage system. So the ground should be ready in 15-30 minutes once the rain stops. "

Hari B: "RCB and the rain.. Huh, have heard that before!!"

Oh, rain, please stop this hide-and-seek game.

Ahmed: "Hey Muthu, what will happen if the match is washed out." --- The teams will split points

7.15pm KL: "As interesting as it is, SRH has not won an away game yet and RCB recovering from their worst nightmare, both teams looking to turn this around tonight. Can't wait. Rain, please show us some mercy!" -- No mercy yet. "Additional covers have been brought on. The bowlers' run-up area is being covered," says Varun

7.10pm Argh! The drizzle is back. "Might be that kind of a night," warns Varun from the Chinnaswamy.

SRH fan: "I still remember rain shortened match between these two teams in Hyderabad. SRH lost it badly, Warner dropped a catch too. Hope RCB returns the favor this time."

To brighten things up a bit, here's the best (and also the worst) from the past 10 days of this IPL season. It features dollops of finesse from Kane Williamson and Hashim Amla, and of course the #UniverseBoss.

7.05pm "Moises Henriques had just walked out like a gladiator, by himself, with a bat in hand. No other players in sight," says Varun. "He was shadow practicing near the square which is still covered."

7pm Moreover, the Chinnaswamy drainage has had a makeover and is now well equipped to tackle wet outfields, thanks to the installation of a subsurface aeration system

6.45pm Good evening, and a not-so-warm welcome to ESPNcricinfo's live ball-by-ball coverage of the 29th match of this IPL season, in Bangalore. It had rained non-stop for an hour till about 15 minutes ago. "It has stopped now and the super soppers are out," says Varun Shetty, our man at the ground. "The wide long-off and long-on boundaries were covered, and there are water puddles on the covers, but we should be good to go if there's no further rain"

PLAYING XI
RCB
SRH
Match details
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Tossno toss
Series
Season2017
Hours of play (local time)20.00 start, First Session 20.00-21.30, Interval 21.30-21.50, Second Session 21.50- 23.20
Match days25 April 2017 - night (20-over match)
Umpires
TV Umpire
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
PointsRoyal Challengers Bangalore 1, Sunrisers Hyderabad 1