The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a weather alert for Ahmedabad ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final. Forecasts predict the possibility of rain and strong winds during the day, prompting teams and fans to keep a close eye on weather conditions ahead of the title match.
The IPL 2026 final between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) is scheduled to be played on Sunday, May 31, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The much-awaited match is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST. Before the upcoming match, both the teams have won one IPL title each.
IMD forecast raises weather concerns ahead of IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light to moderate rain and thundershowers at many places across Gujarat including Ahmedabad. The advisory from Sunday morning to Monday morning has increased the concern ahead of the IPL 2026 final.
IMD has also warned of strong winds in some parts of Ahmedabad district. Wind speed may range between 50 to 60 km/hr in isolated areas, with changing weather conditions there is a possibility of rain and thundershowers.
There has been a change in the weather in Ahmedabad after the scorching heat on Saturday and the temperature reaching 43.1 degrees Celsius. Severe weather conditions in north-western India also affected travel plans, as storms and heavy rains caused disruption that delayed Gujarat Titans’ arrival in Ahmedabad.
IPL final has reserve day and extra time to deal with weather constraints
IPL officials have made it clear that their first priority is to complete the final on the scheduled day. To help achieve this, the IPL 2026 final has a two-hour extension window that can be used if play is affected due to rain or other weather interruptions.
If considerable time is lost, match officials may reduce the number of overs and use the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method to modify the target. Under the IPL playing conditions, at least five overs per side must be completed for the result to be declared.
The tournament also has a backup plan, with June 1 as the official reserve day. A similar situation happened during the IPL 2023 final, when the title match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings had to be shifted to the reserve day due to rain.
If it does not rain on both the days then RCB will become champion
The IPL rule book states that if both the scheduled match day and the reserve day are canceled due to persistent inclement weather, the final will be cancelled. In that case, the team ranked higher in the league stage rankings will be declared the champion.
Under this rule, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be crowned IPL 2026 champions as they finished first in the league table, ahead of second-placed Gujarat Titans. RCB are the defending champions after winning their maiden IPL title last season, while Gujarat Titans won their only title in 2022.
The two teams will be hoping for a complete match rather than a result affected by the weather. Both teams are chasing their second IPL title, preparing for a much-awaited contest if conditions allow the game to go ahead.
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