Ranji Trophy: Bengal vs Kerala Match in Jeopardy, CAB appeals to defer Match amid Cyclone Dana Alert

Rain Rain go away, come again another day - Bengal and Kerala, the two lot-alike states of India are hoping for some respite from the rain gods, but their prayers are likely to be denied.

Kerala and Bengal are set to face each other in the 3rd round of the Ranji Trophy. The match is set to start on October 26. Initially, scheduled to take place at the Kalyani Ground, the match has been shifted to the JU Campus Ground in Salt Lake.

Kerala and Bengal both had Rain Interruption

Both teams are being followed by the rain gods. Kerala saw their last match against Karnataka get washed away, whereas Bengal's match against Bihar saw not even a single ball being bowled due to a wet outfield at the Kalyani Stadium. Bengal had to be content with sharing the spoils against the weakest team on paper in their group.

Although the match shifted to Salt Lake and the introduction of whole ground covers poses some optimism, the impending threat of cyclone has hit the prospects of a potential match.

Cyclone Dana threatening Bengal vs Kerala Clash

West Bengal and Odisha are currently on high alert for the Cyclone Dana, which has been approaching towards the Odisha and Bengal coast. A severe depression led to the formation of the cyclone, which is scheduled for landfall on Friday (October 25) morning. Winds gusting up to 135 kph are expected and both governments have already evacuated the at-risk citizens from the coastal districts.

Although Kolkata may not face the severe wrath of the cyclone, heavy to extremely heavy rain along with thunderstorms have been predicted from Thursday. The West Bengal government has also announced a four-day holiday for all schools.

CAB writes to BCCI to reschedule Match

Amid this, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has written to Jay Shah to defer the match by a couple of days. It is yet to be known how BCCI responds to that, but Bengal and Kerala both would like some game time and respite from the rain.

Kerala won their first match of the season against Punjab whereas Bengal drew with Uttar Pradesh but got three points by the virtue of a first innings lead.