Wet blanket on key IPL match

NEW DELHI: The unseasonal rain continued on Thursday, putting a big question mark on the Delhi Daredevils versus Kolkata Knight Riders IPL match scheduled in the capital on Thursday evening. The match is crucial to both teams who are fighting for the last spot in the semi-finals.

A senior official of the Delhi Daredevils team said on Thursday morning that the match was unlikely unless the rain stopped and the sun came out "at least for a few hours" as the outfield was wet.

The teams will get a point apiece if the match is washed out, which will do neither any good. Delhi Daredevils are in the fifth spot on the eight-team league table, while Kolkata Knight Riders are sixth. Mumbai Indians, in fourth place now, will be the beneficiary of a washout.

Though water logging led to the usual traffic jams in the capital, flights were on time, said an airports official.

On Thursday morning, meteorologists held out little hope for a break in the weather. Their forecast warned of thunder squalls and hail storms all over north India for the rest of the week, thanks to a mini-cyclone that was sitting over the India-Pakistan border.

To add to that, "a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect western Himalayan region and adjoining plains of northwest India from Friday", said a met official.

Thunder squalls and hail storms have also been forecast over the east and northeast of the country.

Meteorologists expect a low pressure area to form over southeast Arabian Sea around Friday. They have forecast rain or thundershowers at a few places over Kerala, Lakshadweep and south coastal Karnataka.