What is reserve day in cricket and how will it affect the IPL 2023 final?

Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) are set to lock horns with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 28.

The toss didn't take place at the scheduled time of 7.00 pm (IST) because of heavy rainfall in Ahmedabad.

Much to the delight of the fans, there is a reserve day for the IPL 2023 final on Monday, May 29.

A reserve day in cricket is used when a knockout match doesn't take place or cannot be completed on the stipulated date. In that case, the contest is shifted to another day so that a result is obtained.

In IPL, it is used when even a five-over match isn't possible. If the final has started, but cannot be completed on the original date due to inclement weather conditions, it will be completed on the reserve day.

It is worth mentioning that the summit clash can start as late as 9.35 pm (IST). No overs will be lost in that case. The cut-off time for a five-over encounter between the two finalists is said to be 12.06 am (IST) on Monday.

In case the reserve day is washed out as well, GT and CSK will play a Super Over, if the conditions permit. If the Super Over cannot be started or completed, Gujarat will be crowned champions, by virtue of finishing higher in the points table.

Gujarat finished with 20 points at the league table, while CSK had 17 points in their kitty.

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GT vs CSK squads for IPL 2023 final

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Srikar Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Odean Smith, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Pradeep Sangwan, Matthew Wade, Jayant Yadav, Dasun Shanaka, Abhinav Manohar, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Urvil Patel, and Yash Dayal.

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh, Ben Stokes, Dwaine Pretorius, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, RS Hangargekar, Bhagath Varma, and Nishant Sindhu.