RCB vs CSK Weather Forecast: Will Rain Play Spoilsport in IPL 2025 Southern Derby in Bengaluru Today?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's hopes of doing the double over Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025 may be hampered due to the rain threat looming large over the pulsating fixture at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday (May 3).

Over the past two days, Bengaluru has experienced incessant rain, and the trend could continue on the match day as well. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), "Rain or thundershowers would occur towards afternoon or evening."

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, rain hampered both teams' preparations on the eve of the clash as well. Chennai began its training at 3 pm but could only practice on the field for 45 minutes. The players then returned to train at 4.30 pm.

RCB began practice around 5 pm as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal batted for around 45 minutes to an hour before rain pelted again for a few hours, resulting in a premature end to the home team's practice session.

The rain in fact did not ease off for three hours. Throughout the evening, there was a thunderstorm and occasional lightning, which led to waterlogging in several parts of the city. The same could be the case even today. Here is a look at the RCB vs CSK weather forecast:

Bengaluru Weather Forecast for May 3rd, Saturday

While day starts with sunny periods and a thunderstorm in one or two spots this afternoon, the evening and night is also expected to witness thunderstorms in one or two spots. The temparature is expected to fluctuate between 24 and 28°C during the playing hours, but the day time and noon temperature will be above 30° C.

Will rain play spoilsport in RCB vs CSK match?

Rain Prediction for Bengaluru on May 3: There is 44 percent of precipitation today with over 50% chance of thunderstorm from 8 PM to 9 PM. So, there is every chance we could see the rain having the last laugh in the contest.

But all hope should not be lost as the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has one of the best drainage systems thanks to the Subair system being implemented in the ground. But any chance of play will depend on how long the rain lasts.

Bengaluru has already witnessed a match between RCB and Punjab Kings last month that was reduced to 14 overs a side due to persistent rain. So, if there is no persistent rain, we could have a game. Minimum 5-over per side contest will be required to determine a result.

What happens if there is rain interruption or a delayed start?

As it's still the league phase, there is no reserve day, but there is an option to extend the playing window by an hour, meaning if the play does not start within 8:30 PM IST, the number of overs will start reducing. As per IPL playing conditions, The cut-off time for a 5-over contest is 11:44 PM IST.

Chennai, the five-time champions, have already been knocked out of the race for the playoffs, with just two wins out of ten fixtures, sitting at the bottom of the table. However, for RCB, the fixture is a big opportunity to move to the top of the table with 16 points. The Royal Challengers occupy the third spot on the points table with seven wins and three defeats.