It’s that time of the cricketing calendar where fans simply can’t afford to let even a minute of action slip by. India and Pakistan are set to face each other. It is after nearly a year that the two Asian cricketing giants will be on the same pitch, looking to outdo each other. But, other than their batting and bowling skills, a third factor could have a bigger impact on the game, deciding which team to favour, or worse, to let the match even take place or not. As India and Pakistan gear up for their first contest in the 2023 Asia Cup, the weather will have a big say in its fate.

As per a report in Accuweather, there will be intermittent rain almost all throughout the day. The match is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM IST. But, it is going to be hard for the groundsman to prepare have the stadium ready for cricketing action by that time as rain is expected to take place at the venue since morning.

The chances of rain at Pallekele are 84% during the day. To be more specific, in the morning, there’s a 60% chance of rain in the city. Even in the afternoon, there remains 60% chance of a downpour. In the evening, the chances increase to 65%.

Overnight, the chances of precipitation further increase to 69%. Hence, while there may be moments in the match where rain would not happen, wet conditions on the ground are likely to hamper the playing time too.

While Pakistan have already begun their Asia Cup 2023 campaign with a resounding win over Nepal, India will look to get off the mark against their arch-rivals today. Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Iftikhar, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, etc. all looked in supreme form. India, on the other hand, will hope for top performances from their superstars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and especially the returning Jasprit Bumrah.