Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are in a neck-and-neck battle for the fourth and final spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs.
The two teams are slated to square off on Wednesday (May 21) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While a win would guarantee MI a top four finish, DC need to avoid defeat to stay alive in the tournament. Both sides have two league matches left.
However, rain might play spoilsport in the high-stake fixture as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for Mumbai on Tuesday (May 20) evening for the next four days.
In light of the rain threat, DC co-owner Parth Jindal has reportedly written an email to the BCCI, making a plea to shift the virtual quarter final to a different city.
Jindal's request came after RCB's home fixture against SRH was relocated from Bengaluru to Lucknow because of "unfavourable weather conditions".
"The forecast in Mumbai is for heavy rains and there is a strong likelihood that the game will be washed out," Jindal wrote in the mail, which was accessed by ESPNcricinfo.
Jindal added it would be "consistent" then to move the MI-DC match, too. "Just as the game between RCB vs SRH has been moved out of Bengaluru in the quest for consistency and in the interest of the league it is my request that tomorrow's game also be moved to a different location as we have known for the better part of 6 days that the forecast for 21st in Mumbai is for heavy showers," he stated.
If the fixture gets abandoned due to rain, both teams would walk away with a single point, and everything will depend on their final league-stage match. MI will host PBKS at their home venue on May 26, while DC will lock horns against the same team on May 24 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
The five-time champions are currently placed number four with seven wins (14 points) in their 12 outings, whereas the Axar Patel-led side is at the fifth spot with 13 points in 12 games.
Meanwhile, three teams -- namely Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) -- have already secured a place in the IPL 2025 playoffs.
