The 2nd T20 match between touring Bangladesh and hosts India on Thursday (Nov 7) in Rajkot is likely to be disrupted by severe cyclonic storm “Maha” which is expected to cause heavy rain in Gujarat on the day of the match.
The first T20 match between the two teams was also threatened by hazardous air-pollution levels in Delhi, but the match was completed successfully on Sunday where touring Bangladesh team achieved their first-ever historic victory against India in their 9th attempts, beating the hosts by seven wickets to taker 1-0 lead in the three-match T20 series.
The 3rd last match T20 match between two teams will be held on next Sunday (Nov 10) in Nagpur.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Maha is expected to make a landfall in Gujarat on November 6, and could cause “heavy or very heavy rains” in the state on November 7, the day of the match, according to Indian news agency PTI.
But the good news is that the cyclone “is likely to intensify further till Tuesday (November 5) morning and weaken gradually thereafter”, according to the IMD.
Positioned around central Arabian Sea on Monday morning, just over 600 kilometres from the coast of Gujarat, the cyclone has been moving north-west from close to the Kerala coast for the last five days. It is, however, expected to take a turn towards Gujarat on Tuesday.
The met authorities said that the cyclone had intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm and is likely to cross the Gujarat coast around midnight on Wednesday or in the early hours of Thursday. Rajkot, in central Gujarat, is just over 100 kilometres from the coast.
“The storm will cause heavy to very heavy rains in Saurashtra [the region of which Rajkot is a part] and south Gujarat on November 6-7. It is moving towards Oman but will recurve towards Gujarat coast on Monday.”
