BCCI Faces Flak Over Venue Shift as Weather Disrupts PBKS vs MI IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad. (Source: IPL/BCCI)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faced immense criticism on Sunday night after rain delayed the start of the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in Ahmedabad by almost two hours.
The match, which is being held at the Narendra Modi Stadium to determine the second finalist of this season, was initially scheduled to be held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, after the IPL's suspension in early May ( due to military tensions between India and Pakistan), the IPL Governing Council revised the Playoff itinerary and shifted both the Qualifiers and the final to Ahmedabad, citing "weather conditions and other parameters."
Ironically, the weather in Kolkata remained clear, prompting widespread backlash by fans on social media. “No rain in Kolkata” trended across platforms.
“The BCCI has turned this into a mockery,” one fan posted on X (formerly Twitter), as nearly two hours were lost with no play underway.
“Due to rain forecast, BCCI shifted the qualifier 2 from Kolkata to Ahmedabad, and it's raining in Ahmedabad too on match day,” wrote one while questioning the rationale behind shifting the venue.
“Finals removed from Kolkata to Ahmedabad due to the strong possibility of rain. Today, there's no rain in Kolkata, and there's a delay in Ahmedabad due to rain,” stated another.
“IPL Playoffs were moved from Kolkata to Ahmedabad due to a rain threat. It's a hot sunny day in Kolkata today while in Ahmedabad it's raining. This is Karma,” said another.
“Why do they shift all important games to Ahmedabad? It was supposed to be Kolkata,”- wondered another fan.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings opted to bowl against Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League here on Sunday. Veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is back in the playing eleven, while left-arm seamer Reece Topley has replaced the injured Richard Gleeson in the Mumbai Indians line-up.
PBKS vs MI Playing XI:
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Raj Bawa, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Reece Topley.
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