Rain plays spoilsport with Bangalore fans (Sidelights)

An exciting IPL contest between hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils was delayed by over a hour late Tuesday at the Chinnaswamy stadium here, as intermittent rains played spoilsport testing patience of frenzied fans.

Even as captains Virat Kohli and Kevin Pietersen got ready to toss in the middle, a cloudy sky opened up after a hot day and a drizzle turned into a downpour, forcing groundsmen to pull covers over the pitch and the outfield.

Just as rain stopped and covers were being removed around 8 p.m., short spells further delayed the toss by 50 minutes and the start was rescheduled to 9.10 p.m.

Much to the relief of die-hard fans, match referee Andy Pycroft declared that both the team will play for the stipulated 20 overs, hoping rains gods will keep away till the match gets over past midnight.

"Though we are disappointed by the delayed start, it was worth waiting to watch a full match, as it is sheer fun with all the excitement the game generates irrespective of who wins," M. Jayakrishnan, sales manager in a private firm, told IANS in the eastern stands.

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Gayle, Kohli let down fans again

It was another round of royal let down by RCB's explosive batter Chris Gayle and skipper Kohli, as both continued with their poor form in a match the team was desperate to win after three defeats, including two on the home turf.

"It is sad to notice both Gayle and Kohli failing to contribute substantially to the team as in the past. It is particularly disappointing to see Gayle being a pale shadow of what he was in the previous tournaments with his massive sixes and flurry of shots to the fence, which were a sheer delight to watch," P. Vinay Kumar, a techie, said.