IPL 2024 Playoffs: Is There a Reserve Day if Qualifier 1, Eliminator & Qualifier 2 is Washed Out Due To Rain?

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IPL 2024 has reached the climax stage as four teams - Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru - confirmed their spots for the playoffs in the seventeenth season of the Indian Premier League.

The IPL 2024 Playoffs will feature four matches - Qualifier 1, the Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and then the Final. KKR (20 points) finished top of the table followed by SRH (17 points), RR (17 points) and RCB (14 points).

The top two teams after the round-robin stage will clash in the Qualifier 1 on Tuesday (May 21) followed by Eliminator, which will see the 3rd-placed and 4th-placed teams clash on Wednesday (May 22). Both the matches will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The winner of Qualifier 1 will head directly into the final, scheduled to take place on Sunday (May 26) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where the loser of Qualifier 1 will also face the winner of Eliminator in Qualifier 2 on Friday (May 24).

The weather has played spoilsport in three matches in the league stage as most parts of the country have seen rain over the last week. And the inclement weather could even have an impact on the crucial matches in IPL 2024.

The IPL 2023 final in Ahmedabad was pushed into the reserve day after persistent showers did not allow for even the toss to take place on the scheduled matchday. So, will we be in for a similar situation this time as well? Let's find out first with the forecast:

Weather forecast for Ahmedabad and Chennai for the next few days

The forecast says there is clear weather with sunny days throughout the week in Ahmedabad. In fact, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that heatwave conditions are likely to prevail in parts of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, over the next five days.

In Chennai, however, there is forecast for rain and thunderstorms in the lead up to the matchdays with clear days predicted from Friday (May 24) to Sunday (May 26). But what happens if it rains and there is no play or a truncated match or the match is tied?

IPL 2024 Playoff result in case of rain or weather interruption - Is there a reserve day?

Unlike the previous editions when there was a reserve day only for the final, there is a reserve day for all the four IPL 2024 playoff matches. If there is any, the interrupted matches will be continued or played on the reserve days. But, what if the reserve day is washed out as well?

As per the playing conditions of IPL during the playoff, a match result can be determined only if both the teams play a minimum of 5 overs each with DLS calculations coming into play if one side has already played more than the requisite overs to obtain a result.

If the minimum overs can also not be bowled, then the match will either resume from where it stopped or freshly if there was no ball bowled on the reserve day. The reserve day in case of the IPL 2024 playoff matches, is the very next day of the scheduled match.

Is there any extra time available to complete the IPL 2024 playoff match on the scheduled day?

According to IPL playing conditions, there is an extra time of 120 minutes available for each playoff match. A playoff match could start on the original day as late as 9.40pm without the number of overs being reduced (10 minute interval, time-outs retained).

What if there is no result possible despite the IPL 2024 playoff match heading into reserve day?

If the playoff - the qualifier 1, eliminator, qualifier 2 and final - also get washed out on the reserve day, and no result is possible then the winner of the respective match will be determined based on where they finished on the points table.

As per IPL playing conditions: "If any of the Final, the Eliminator, Qualifier 1 or Qualifier 2 matches are tied, or there is no result, the following shall apply:

• 16.11.1 the relevant teams shall compete in a Super Over and if necessary further Super Overs to determine which team is the winner of the match in question; and
• 16.11.2 if conditions do not permit a Super Over, or subsequent Super Overs within the time available to determine the winner then the team which, at the end of the Season, finished in the higher position in the League table will be deemed the winner of the relevant play-off match.

Meaning, if the Qualifiers and Eliminator are washed out or abandoned due to the weather without the ability to play the Super Over, then then team that finished better on the points table will progress to the next rounds.

Which team is considered the winner if the IPL 2024 playoff matches is washed out even on reserve day?

If the Qualifier 1 is washed out, the first-placed team enters the final, while the second-placed team will progress to the Qualifier 2, where they will face the winner of Eliminator.

If the Eliminator is washed out, the third-placed team will move into the Qualifier 2. If the Qualifier 2 is washed out, then the second-placed team or the qualifier 1 loser earns a final spot. If the final also is washed out, then the team that topped the table will be awarded the final match and the trophy.