India, May 13 -- Rain in Raipur could turn Royal Challengers Bengaluru's meeting with Kolkata Knight Riders into a major playoff event without a ball being bowled. RCB enter the fixture with control over their top-two push, while KKR arrive needing every available point to keep their season alive.

A washout would give both teams one point each. RCB would move to 15 points from 12 matches and stay strongly placed in the top four. KKR would move to 10 points from 11 matches, leaving them with almost no margin for error in the final stretch.

For RCB, a no-result would be safe in one sense. It would protect them from defeat, preserve their strong net run rate and take them closer to playoff qualification. Their net run rate has been one of ...