Despite heavy rain earlier in the evening, officials confirmed that no overs will be lost, especially with the cut-off time to lose overs not reached yet. Previously, persistent showers and a wet outfield had forced a delay in the toss and match start time. The entire ground was covered after a 30\u2011minute spell of rain began at 4:30 pm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A brief drizzle returned around 6:15 pm, and the ground was fully covered again as super soppers worked on the surface. At 6:35 pm, the rain intensified, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Though conditions eased five minutes before the scheduled toss time, on\u2011field umpires Rohan Pandit and Nitin Menon, along with fourth umpire Kaushik Gandhi, inspected the ground as staff carefully removed covers laden with water.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Frequent lightning strikes meant the delay stretched further before revised timings were announced closer to the pitch inspection time. The Raipur pitch has not been easy for batting, with bowlers expected to exploit the conditions, especially with some moisture due to rain now being a major factor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A brief drizzle returned around 6:15 pm, and the ground was fully covered again as super soppers worked on the surface. At 6:35 pm, the rain intensified, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Though conditions eased five minutes before the scheduled toss time, on\u2011field umpires Rohan Pandit and Nitin Menon, along with fourth umpire Kaushik Gandhi, inspected the ground as staff carefully removed covers laden with water.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Meanwhile, the Ajinkya Rahane-captained KKR, unbeaten in their last four matches after a poor start to the competition, need a victory to continue their impressive turnaround and stay alive in the race to the playoffs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n