India vs West Indies 5th T20I weather forecast: Rain, drainage system & washout update

India and West Indies will take on each other in the fifth and final T20I of the series on Saturday, October 17, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The series is levelled 2-2 after West Indies’ 24-run victory in Hyderabad. With all to play for in Bengaluru, fans are looking forward to a thrilling fixture at one of the best batting tracks in the country.

However, their hopes of seeing a full-fledged fixture are under threat as rain is likely to interrupt the proceedings. According to Google Weather, there is a 75% chance of rain for Saturday, with scattered thunderstorms. The situation only gets worse by the time the match begins, with Thundershowers expected around the start time at 7 pm and stretching late into the night.

Hence, there are high chances that fans might get to see a shortened game or no action at all if the weather conditions don’t improve. However, if any venue can organise a match under such inclement weather, it’s the Chinnaswamy Stadium due to its top-notch drainage system.

How is the drainage system at Chinnaswamy Stadium?

The venue is credited with having the best drainage facility in India. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) installed the SubAir subsurface aeration and vacuum-powered drainage system at the stadium in 2017.

The system helps prevent waterlogging in the outfield during rain and enables play to resume quickly, as it can drain water up to 36 times faster than conventional systems.

Hence, fans can expect some action even if incessant rain threatens to wash out the fixture. A minimum of five-over per side match has to be played to determine a result in case of a shortened match.

In case of a short fixture, more fireworks can be expected from both teams in a series that has already shattered several records in terms of run scoring.