RCB vs KKR (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Persistent rain has cast a shadow over the much-anticipated IPL 2025 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. The toss, originally scheduled for the evening, has been delayed as heavy showers continued to sweep across Bengaluru.IPL officials took to the social media platform X to confirm the delay, stating: “Update: The toss has been delayed due to rain in Bengaluru. Stay tuned for further updates.”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!While fans are still holding onto hope for some cricketing action tonight, the match officials have set key timings in place. Overs will begin to be reduced if rain persists beyond 8:45 PM IST. However, there remains a reasonable window of opportunity for play; the cut-off time to begin a five-over game is 10:56 PM IST. If the rain relents before that, we could still witness a high-octane, shortened match between two playoff contenders.The stakes are particularly high for both teams. RCB, currently second on the points table with 16 points, need just one more win to secure a playoff berth and potentially finish in the top two, a crucial advantage in the knockout stages.

Their recent form has been impressive, with four consecutive victories pushing them into serious title contention.For KKR, however, the situation is more desperate. With just 11 points, they must win both of their remaining matches to reach 15 and stay alive in the playoff race. Even then, their qualification would hinge on favourable results in other fixtures.

RCB vs KKR Squads:

Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Mayank Markande, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Spencer Johnson, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Rovman Powell, Chetan SakariyaRoyal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Swapnil Singh, Philip Salt, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Josh Hazlewood