BCCI says scientific data guided choice of Ahmedabad for IPL final

When Season 18 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ended without any more disruptions, everyone exhaled in relief. It required careful and scientific decision-making behind the scenes because the tournament’s completion was seriously threatened by both conflict and the weather (rain), but in the end, it all appeared to be worthwhile.

Before choosing the location for the four playoff matches—Qualifier 1, the Eliminator, Qualifier 2, and the final—BCCI administrators found themselves acting as meteorologists at the IPL Governing Council (GC) meeting on May 20. They did this by carefully examining national weather trends.

The initial hosts were Hyderabad and Kolkata, but during the one-week break brought on by escalating border tensions and fighting, everything in the nation changed drastically, including the weather.

The BCCI brought weather forecasts for every IPL city to the Governing Council (GC) meeting. Rainfall was predicted to be 65 percent in Kolkata, the initial location for the final, and only three percent in Ahmedabad. The GC made the decision to relocate the final to Ahmedabad in light of this.

Comments that it was a political call were made in light of the nation’s current climate. However, the BCCI made it clear that the decision was solely based on scientific inputs on Wednesday, June 4, the day following the IPL final.

“It was never a political decision. We have relied on scientific inputs and materials. At the time of the GC, rain was not predicted in Ahmedabad, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told Cricbuzz.

Unfortunately, while the final was taking place at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday night, Kolkata was hit by a lot of rain. There was a slight precipitation in Ahmedabad earlier in the day, but it didn’t stop the 40-over match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. For more than four hours after nine o’clock at night, Kolkata was battered by rain and thunderstorms.

On Sunday, June 1, which was paradoxically a day of clear weather for Kolkata, Qualifier 2 was delayed by two hours due to weather-related issues.

Nevertheless, the fact that the match between the Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings proceeded without a single over being missed was a relief to the BCCI and IPL authorities.