Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s fairytale resurgence has surely brought them back into contention for the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2024 final playoffs spot. But the Faf du Plessis-led outfit will have to battle both Chennai Super Kings and the weather gods to confirm their entry in the top-4 in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Thursday’s washout in Hyderabad meant that Sunrisers Hyderabad joined Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals as the three confirmed teams for the playoffs and the race is now for only one spot with two teams in fray — CSK and RCB.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, “heavy rain/thundershowers associated with gusty winds (40-50kph) are very likely” in some parts of Bengaluru on May 18. The city has received consistent rainfall over the last couple of weeks.

In the lead-up to the match, central Bengaluru, where the Chinnaswamy Stadium is located, witnessed overnight rain that continued into the morning on Friday. It was cloudy all morning on the eve of the match and the forecast predicted rain and thunderstorms in the evening.

The forecast for Saturday does not look promising either with accuweather.com suggesting an evening thunderstorm in parts of Bengaluru accompanied by showers. The temperature around 7.30pm, the match start time, is expected to be around 23°C with a 100% cloud cover.

A washout will end RCB’s chances of making the playoffs. Having lost seven of their first eight games, they then won five matches in a row to remain in contention. They currently have 12 points and a net run rate of 0.387, while CSK are on 14 with an NRR of 0.538.

To go past CSK’s NRR and make it to the playoffs, assuming a score of 200, RCB need to beat CSK by 18 runs or chase down the target with about 11 balls to spare. A truncated game will make their task tougher.

For CSK, the equation is simple: a win, a washout, or even a narrow defeat is enough for them to join Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the playoffs.

While the odds are stacked against the home side, they’ve staged a spectacular comeback, securing five straight wins after enduring a six-match losing streak. Orange Cap holder Virat Kohli has been in phenomenal form with three fifties in last five innings and is expected to lead from the front once again in their last-ditched effort to make the top-four.

Skipper Faf du Plessis is also due for some big runs, especially after having capped single digit scores in his last two outings. In the middle order, Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green have both showcased compelling form.

Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik would be looking to make the most out of the Chinnaswamy track, which is typically a good batting wicket. As for RCB’s bowling, Yash Dayal has been their star, bagging the most wickets this season while Mohammed Siraj will be expected to get back to his best before the T20 World Cup.

Lockie Ferguson, Green, and Swapnil Singh will also be tested against a formidable CSK batting unit, while it will also be interesting to see whether RCB uses Will Jacks as a part-time spin option against the likes of Shivam Dube.

Coming to the CSK, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has been leading the run-chart for the team but will expect consistent support from the likes of Rachin Ravindra, who is also back among runs. Fellow New Zealander Daryl Mitchell will be expected to lift the top order. It will also be interesting to see how much Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s presence makes a difference to CSK’s performance, even as he battles some nagging injury concerns.

In bowling, pacer Simarjeet Singh and Tushar Deshpande have done a decent job after they missed their premier trio of Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana and Deepak Chahar.