The final of the 2023 IPL, between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad, has been moved to the reserve day, May 29, due to incessant rain.

A large crowd turned up at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad to watch defending champions and local team Gujarat Titans take on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings for the final of the Indian Premier League.

The toss was to take place at 7 PM Indian Standard Time, half an hour before the scheduled start of play. It rained from well before 7 PM and continued until around 9 PM.

At that point the umpires inspected the ground and the ground staff sprung into action. For a while it even seemed that the match might start by 9.35 PM, the cut-off for a full-length 20-over match. At least a 16- or 17-over contest seemed feasible.

But it poured again, and the rain got heavier, approaching the final cut-off time of 12.06 AM the next day. As umpire Rod Tucker mentioned the official broadcasters, the ground staff needed about an hour to get the ground ready for a match.

In other words, for a match to happen, the rain needed to stop by 11 PM. It did not, and the match was called off minutes before 11 PM. The IPL 2023 final will now be played on the reserve day (Monday, May 29) at the same time (7.30 PM).

GT have met CSK twice this season. In the tournament opener, at the same venue in Ahmedabad, Mohammed Shami (2-26) and Rashid Khan (2-29) restricted Chennai to 178-7 despite Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 50-ball 92. Shubman Gill (63 in 36 balls) then led the charge, and Gujarat won with four balls to spare even as Rajvardhan Hangargekar claimed 3-36.

With 20 points, Gujarat topped the league stage, finishing three points clear of second-placed Chennai. However, in the Qualifier 1 at Chepauk, Gaikwad (60 in 44) helped Chennai post 172-7 against Shami (2-28) and Mohit Sharma (2-31). Gujarat then collapsed to 157 against Ravindra Jadeja (2-18), Maheesh Theekshana (2-28), and Deepak Chahar (2-29).