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Cricket - KPL 2018, Belagavi Panthers vs Bijapur Bulls, Live Score and Commentary

Welcome to the live coverage of the game between the Belagavi Panthers and Bijapur Bulls.
Updated: 21 August 2018 21:14 IST - Published: August, 21 2018 07:45 PM IST
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It has been a pleasure bringing you live updates, pity it turned out to be a damp squib in the end (literally). This is Aadya Sharma signing off, see you tomorrow at 2 PM for the double-header.

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A contest between two star teams that promised so much, had to be abandoned due to wet patches of outfield. And you know what, the rains have started again! There are light showers at the venue right now.
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So that's that, the match has been called off due to wet outfield. The two captains shake hands with the umpires and make their way out.
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FINAL UPDATE: The game has been called off!
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The umpires are now talking to the two captains - Stuart Binny and Bharat Chipli. 
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Dean Jones, part of the broadcasting team, went to them with his sling back on one side, and analysed the questionable patches on the ground.
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They are now huddled up on one side, making a final decision on the status of the game today.
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It's past nine now., and the umpires have done their analysis.
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8:40 PM IST UPDATE: There's another inspection at 9:00 PM IST. 
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Mind you, rules state that 10:20 PM IST is the cut-off time. 09:50 PM is the usual time, with 30 minutes extra if required.
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The umpires and match officials are having a discussion amongst themselves on one side of the ground. The signs don't look great at the moment.
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Bijapur Bulls vs Belagavi Panthers
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The gingerly walk of the two umpires suggests that they still don't seem to be happy with the outfield. 
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There are still matches left to be played at Hubli - the leg goes on till the 26th and either wouldn't want risking an injury to the players.
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There seem to be concerns around the square, the signs aren't looking great at the moment. The umpires are thoroughly checking the outfield to make sure that it is completely dry.
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And the two men of the moment, the umpires, walk out to the middle, to answer the question we all want to know - close to two hours after the scheduled start, what's the current status?
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A small batch of Bijapur players, tired of the wait inside, are walking along the turf. Their slow trudge perfectly captures the mood at the moment.
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For those who are still with me, as I type this away sitting in Hubli, the second inspection is minutes away.
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The wait is on, so is the hard work of the groundsmen (and groundswomen!), running all around to somehow make a match happen today.
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The music is blaring on one side of the ground, and a group of kids still have enough energy to groove to the beat and keep themselves occupied.
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Today's game, between the two finalists of the 2017 edition, was expected to be a mouth-watering contest, but rain decided to intervene and take away the limelight. 
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The skies are pretty clear and there's no rain around, at least for now. The Bijapur coach, Deepak Choghule, is at the ropes, talking to few of his players.
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That's another half-hour of wait, at least.
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Update 7:50 PM IST: There's another inspection scheduled for 8:20 PM IST. 
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The two umpires are in the middle now, figuring out the damp patches, if any and check if the ground is fine for play to start.
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That's the situation right now - from the media box, you can see the ground-staff desperately getting the ground ready.
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Belagavi Panthers vs Bijapur Bulls
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At the other end of all this non-cricketing action, the players are restlessly moving around in the dugout.
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We're closing in on inspection time, but some parts of the ground still require assistance by the staff.
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The staff is still running around, desperately trying to fix certain patches of the outfield. The main pitch looks ready for action.
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Update - 19:10 IST - The next inspection is at 1940 hours, half an hour from now.
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The toss has been delayed, as the groundstaff frantically tries to dry up the damp patches.
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Dean Jones was seen having a long discussion with the Bulls team, giving some invaluable advice to the players who were huddled up around him.
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Mind you, this is no Chinnaswamy, so the system in place is a bit rudimentary, with brooms and sand being employed to reduce moisture. That said, even with the limited resources, the effort seems super coordinated and the work is being done in a jiffy.
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The two squads are on the park, even as the groundstaff is working hard to dry the outfield.
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The start of the match has been delayed due to passing showers.
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Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the game between the Belagavi Panthers and the Bijapur Bulls in Hubli.

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