The fight for a place in the IPL 2022 final will be fought at the Eden, when it hosts Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. But that is not the only thing that will occupy the minds of the Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals players and staff, the weather too will have to be taken seriously.

Although the Nor’wester has stayed away since lashing the city on Saturday evening, with the skies too having a brighter look for most part of Monday, there remains a possibility of rain during Tuesday’s game.

The rain forecast will obviously make both the team managements do the necessary homework to deal with inclement weather, besides making strategies in case the contest runs into a Super Over.

The Titans, having reached this far in their debut year, shouldn’t be having any complaints, not even if the game turns out to be a complete washout. Having finished at the top of the standings after the group phase, they will be then declared winners, according to the fresh IPL playoff guidelines, and make the final.

All the speculation and possibilities aside, this is a stage where both teams have to begin from scratch. The Titans’ bowling is their strength and has been the main factor behind their consistent showing in the competition. Their formidable pace attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph and Yash Dayal, can put even the strongest of oppositions under pressure. Then there is ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan, while even captain Hardik Pandya has done a decent job with the ball.

The Royals’ strength lies in the presence of some strong players — opener Jos Buttler, a finisher in the form of Shimron Hetmyer as well as spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin. Based on his performance with the bat lately, the Royals can trust Ashwin to score some crucial runs as well.

For the Titans, this is an opportunity to extend Buttler’s lean patch, given the sporting nature of the Eden wicket. But on the other side, with just one 50-plus score in his last few innings, Buttler too would be hungry for a big one.

On match eve, he didn’t really look to be too tense over his recent form. Before going out to bat at the nets, Buttler spent quite some time talking with the Royals’ team catalyst, Paddy Upton, and then trudged back towards the dressing room to get ready for nets.

New ball use

How well the teams make use of the new ball will also have a say. If the Titans boast of a strong fast-bowling group, Royals’ Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna too are capable of making early inroads.

Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill have been a reliable opening pair for the Titans, but they will have their task cut out against Boult and Prasidh, particularly the New Zealand quick, if he gets the ball to nip back into the two right-handed batsmen.

The much-awaited contest, though, could be between Buttler and Shami. The senior India pacer has taken more than 60 per cent of his 18 wickets in this IPL inside the Powerplay, which underlines the importance of his role in trying to dismiss Buttler early or at least keep him quiet.

In case of rain

• If even 5 overs-a-side isn’t possible, play will be decided via Super Over.
• If Super Over too isn’t possible, the team finishing higher in the standings after league phase will be declared winners of the relevant playoff game or final.
• For the two Qualifiers and the Eliminator (having no reserve days), if one innings is complete but no play is possible in the second, the DLS method will come into play to determine the game result.
• May 30 has been kept aside as a reserve day for the May 29 final, which will begin from 8pm, half-an-hour later than the usual starting time (7.30pm).
• If the final goes ahead as scheduled on May 29 but isn’t completed, it will resume on May 30 at the point where it had stopped.
  
  Weather check

Tuesday is likely to be hot and sweaty. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 34-35°C and the humidity level is likely to be on the higher side. There is a possibility of a thunderstorm in the late afternoon or evening, said a Met official.