Indian T20 League 2022 Playoffs: Will games be cancelled in case of disruption?

The Indian T20 League 2022 Playoffs are all set to start on May 24. The four teams to have proceeded to the next stage of the tournament are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Lucknow and Bangalore. While the Hardik Pandya-led side will be taking on the 2008-champions in the Qualifier 1 on May 24, the Lucknow-based franchise and the Faf du Plessis-led side shall lock horns on May 25.

Post which, the Qualifier 2 and Final shall take place on May 27 and May 29 respectively. However, what happens if the game is disrupted due to some unforeseen circumstances? Will the games be forfeited? As the Qualifier 1 and Eliminator are set to take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the weather forecast in Kolkata isn't really promising. Thus, what happens if the games can't take place?

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, a super over shall determine the winner in any of the playoff games if they are to be disrupted due to bad weather. Besides, two more hours can be allotted over the stipulated 200 minutes of game time if the game does get delayed due to unfortunate circumstances. In such a scenario, the first three playoff games (Qualifier 1, Eliminator and Qualifier 2) can begin as late as 9.40 PM IST. As for the final on May 29, it can start as late as at 10.10 PM IST.

An important point to be noted is that the grand finale is set to start at 8 PM IST, and not 7:30 PM IST. Meanwhile, if the final does start on May 29, and even if one ball is bowled, then the match could be continued on a reserve day just in case the game doesn't get completed on May 29 itself. However, the same wouldn't happen for other playoff games.

If the Qualifier 1, Eliminator or Qualifier 2 doesn't get over within the scheduled date, then the team that finished higher on the points table would proceed to the next stage (A shortened game or a super over can determine the winner for these three games only if it takes place on the same day). According to the guidelines "The team that finished highest in the league table after the 70 matches of the regular season shall be declared the winner of the relevant playoff match or final". Thus, the same shall be applied in the final if the winner cannot be determined even after a super over on the reserve day.

"For the Eliminator and each Qualifier playoff matches (where there is no reserve day), in the event that it is not possible to schedule a five-over match to complete by the end of the extra time on the original day, the teams will, if conditions permit, play a Super Over to determine the winner of the relevant Eliminator or Qualifier match," read the guidelines.