World Cup 2023, NZ vs SL Bengaluru weather forecast: Will rain spoil New Zealand’s semis chances?

New Zealand and Sri Lanka are all set to lock horns at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on November 8 with the Blackcaps in dire need of the two points to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

New Zealand’s position in the tournament is precarious. They are currently tied with Pakistan, each team having secured 8 points.

They haven’t had the best of experience in Bengaluru as they played their first match at the Chinnswamy stadium during the World Cup 2023 campaign against Pakistan. The Blackcaps ended up scoring 401 runs in the first innings to keep themselves in the driving seat.

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However, rain would affect the game in the second innings, with Fakhar Zaman ensuring that Pakistan would stay ahead via the DLS method and ultimately they would win by 21 runs in the end. The weather in Bengaluru could once again play villain for New Zealand if the forecast is to be believed for the game against Sri Lanka.

The temperature during the match is expected to be around 27 degrees Celsius, but there are concerns about potential rain interruptions. The weather report indicates a more than 70 percent chance of rain, with heavy showers likely between 2 PM and 6 PM.

According to weather.com, thunderstorms are expected at 1:30 PM IST, which is the time for the toss in the game and the probability for rain stands at 66 percent. This is expected to increase between 1:30 to 3:30 PM and the probability of rain is expected to stay above 50 percent till 7:30 PM.

Accuweather is predicting thunderstorms at 3 PM and 7 PM, which could mean we may be in for another rain-curtailed game at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

A win against Sri Lanka is crucial for the Blackcaps to stay in contention for a semi-final berth. However, if rain forces the match to be abandoned, New Zealand will need Pakistan to lose to England to remain in the hunt for the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is playing for pride and to keep their hopes alive for the qualification to the Champions Trophy in two years time.