3 rain affected finals in recent history

The IPL 2023 final between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) couldn't take place on Sunday due to rain and has been rescheduled for the reserve day, Monday.

The jam-packed crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium had to go home in a dismal mood as the weather gods did not relent. The ground staff tried hard to get the ground ready, but rainfall continued well into the night.

Several important cricket finals over the last few years have been delayed or disrupted due to rain. Weather conditions in England, where numerous finals have been played in the last few years, are always unpredictable.

Here's a look at three recent finals of cricket events which were interrupted by rain:

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#1 Sri Lanka vs Australia, ICC World Cup, 2007

The 2007 ICC World Cup final between Sri Lanka and Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados, was reduced to a 38-over a-side encounter due to incessant rainfall. Batting first, Australia scored a mammoth total of 281/4 at the end of their 38 overs. The Australian batting effort was headlined by Adam Gilchrist (149 runs off 104 balls), who scored an excellent hundred. Interestingly, Gilchrist used a squash ball in his glove for increased grip.

In reply, Sri Lanka mustered only 215/8 in 36 overs as the game was further reduced due rain-incurred delays. Extremely blurry visuals at the end of the game highlighted the difficult weather conditions.

Australia won the match by 53 runs and became World Champions for the third successive time. Adam Gilchrist was awarded the Man of the Match Award for his stunning century.

#2 India vs England, ICC Champions Trophy, 2013

India and England were supposed to play a 50-over ICC Champions Trophy Final at Birmingham in England. However, the fickle English weather played spoilsport as the game had to be reduced a 20-over match. Batting first, India posted a total of 129/7 at the end of their 20 overs, courtesy of counter-attacking cameos from Virat Kohli (43 runs off 34 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (33* runs off 25 balls).

In reply, England could only muster a total of 124/8 and fell short by five runs as Ravichandran Ashwin (4-1-15-2), Ravindra Jadeja (4-0-24-2), Ishant Sharma (4-0-36-2) and Umesh Yadav (2-0-10-1) put in excellent spells for India.

With this trophy, MS Dhoni completed his triumvirate of ICC trophies, namely ICC World T20, ICC World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy. Ravindra Jadeja was awarded the Player of the Match award for his excellent all-round show.

#3 India vs New Zealand, World Test Championship Final, 2021

The inaugural World Test Championship Final was impacted by rain and bad light on the first five days, which meant that the reserve day had to be used. The continuous showers also made conditions ideal for pacers, with lots of swing and seam movement. After conceding a lead of 32 runs in the first innings, the Indian batting unit collapsed for 170 in the second innings, in their bid to play aggressively and force a result.

By the sixth day in Southampton, the sun was out as New Zealand easily knocked down the 140-run target in the fourth innings in much better batting conditions. New Zealand became the first winners of the World Test Championship with Kyle Jamieson winning the Man of the Match Award for his five-wicket haul in the first innings.