IPL 2025 weather update: Bengaluru weather report for May 17 for RCB vs KKR match
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 resumes tonight after a short hiatus. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will host the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 17.
RCB have had an excellent run in this year's cash-rich league. They are placed second in the table with 16 points, with eight wins and three defeats in 11 games. A win tonight will confirm Bengaluru's place in the playoffs. However, they will miss the services of their leading wicket-taker Josh Hazlewood (18 scalps), who is still recovering from his shoulder injury in Australia.
KKR, on the other hand, are in a tricky situation. They are placed sixth in the standings with 11 points from 12 games and will have to win their remaining two matches and also look at others' results for a top-four finish. The Knight Riders will miss the services of Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell, who haven't joined the squad yet after the break.
With two top sides going against each other, a cracking contest beckons fans at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, to the dismay of fans, the forecast says there are chances of thunderstorms throughout the evening in and around Bengaluru. Thus, a washout or a start-stop encounter is on the cards at the Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight.
According to AccuWeather, the temperature will hover around 24 to 25 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be on the higher side, ranging in the 80s.
"I don't worry that much about right-hand-left-hand combinations" - Mo Bobat on RCB's team combinations
RCB have their entire squad at their disposal before IPL 2025 restarts, barring Josh Hazlewood. With Phil Salt's return from injury, their main concern will be selection, as they will have to leave out Jacob Bethell to accommodate the wicketkeeper-batter. This means RCB will have all right-handers in their top five.
However, their director of cricket, Mo Bobat, is not concerned about the right-hand-left-hand combination. He told reporters, as quoted by Cricbuzz:
"Yeah, my own personal philosophy is I don't worry that much about right-hand-left-hand combinations. I know different teams do that differently. I actually think that since we've had the impact player rule and every team has six or seven bowlers, it almost doesn't matter if you've got [a] right-hand-left-hand [pair], they just change the bowling combination."
He added:
"So I think in an 11 versus 11 line-up, sometimes having that left-hander in your back order can mean that you can put one of their bowlers under pressure. I see that less as a thing now."