BENGALURU, India,  (CMC) – West Indians Sunil Narine and Andre Russell did not get the opportunity to take the field and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders were eliminated from playoff contention in the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Saturday.

Needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, heavy and persistent showers forced the abandonment of their contest against Royal Challengers Bengaluru without a ball being bowled at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in the first IPL match since the league was suspended because of tensions between India and Pakistan.

The result left KKR in sixth position on 12 points, and mathematically impossible for them to clinch a playoff spot.

However, the one point confirmed progress for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who moved to 17 points from their 12 matches and were looking to maximise points in order to seal a top two spot.