India, April 6 -- Rain forced the focus away from cricket and onto the clock during the IPL 2026 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens on Monday. With the game interrupted early, the key question became simple: till what time could officials wait and still complete a five-over-a-side contest?

The most reasonable reference point was 11:50 PM IST. For a standard IPL match scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM, the playing conditions broadly work with a normal finish time of 10:50 PM. An additional 60 minutes is then available to cover delays. That extends the outer window to around 11:50 PM.

In rain-hit matches, the number can vary slightly depending on the precise time of interruption, inspection windows, restart f...