New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will not play their final home fixture of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after all. The IPL has officially relocated Match No. 65—RCB vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which was originally scheduled for Friday (May 23) in Bengaluru—to the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

The decision comes after an urgent meeting between BCCI and IPL officials on Tuesday, prompted by a yellow alert issued by the Indian Meteorological Department predicting “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in Bengaluru until Thursday.

IANS had earlier reported the likely change, which now means RCB will play both their remaining league matches in Lucknow — against SRH on May 23 and against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27.

The move comes after RCB’s previous fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was washed out without a ball being bowled due to relentless rain. Since then, thunderstorms and widespread waterlogging have gripped the city, leaving no room for another high-profile fixture to be risked under similar conditions.

On Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also issued a formal statement confirming the full playoff schedule for IPL 2025 and finalised the two venues for the four key games.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Playoffs on Tuesday.

After 70 action-packed league-stage matches filled with energy, drama, thrill, and entertainment; the spotlight will shift to the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh as it gears up to host the much-awaited Qualifier 1 – featuring the top-two ranked sides on Thursday (May 29) followed by an engrossing Eliminator clash on Friday (May 30),” the statement read.

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the second qualifier on June 1 and the final on June 3. The IPL final was originally scheduled for May 25, but the tournament was paused for a week between May 9 and May 17 due to rising geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan. This forced the BCCI to rejig the entire playoff calendar and venue allocation.

Hyderabad and Kolkata were initially set to host the four playoff matches, but the combination of weather risks and rescheduling due to the temporary suspension forced the IPL Governing Council to opt for new venues. “Similar to the playoffs stage, an additional one hour will be allocated to the playing conditions for the remaining matches of the league stage, starting Tuesday (May 20),” the IPL further confirmed in its statement.

This clause—13.7.3 of the IPL playing conditions—extends the total waiting time for a match to be completed from 60 minutes to 120 minutes.

This move is aimed at maximising the chances of getting a result in weather-affected matches as the league enters its crucial final week.

With the new playoff venues locked in and flexibility added to the match window, attention now turns to the battle for the final playoff spot.

Punjab Kings (PBKS), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Gujarat Titans (GT) have already sealed qualification. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are going neck-and-neck for the fourth and final berth in the knockouts.

–IANS

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