LIVE IPL: Rain stops play after Sunrisers post 135 vs RCB

It continues to rain in Hyderabad and the pitch and outfield are still under covers.

The latest the chase can get underway is 0016 hours IST for a five over game so we have another 15 minutes or so before the match is called off it doesn't stop raining.

Sunrisers 135-3 (11 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Starc to bowl the final over. He starts with a good yorker which Morgan defends back to the bowler before getting one from the next ball and Warner also takes one from the third ball.

Another yorker is hit down the ground by Morgan, who comes down for two runs as Kohli fumbles at long-on.

The English left-hander smashes the fifth ball down the ground for a six over long-off as Starc misses the yorker.

He comes down the track but mishits the last ball to long-off where he is caught by Mandeep.

The drizzle has picked up and RCB captain Kohli is not happy that the umpires decided to continue the match and exposed the pitch to the rain for nearly two overs.

The covers are called in before the players can even make their way back to the pavilion and an angry Kohli has a few words with the two umpires.

Sunrisers finish on a massive 135 for three in their 11 overs with Warner finishing unbeaten on 52 from 32 balls.

Sunrisers 125-2 (10 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Warner tries the switch hit against Wiese but gets a thick outside edge for a four past the wicketkeeper. He takes a single from the next ball to complete his fifty, from 30 balls.

Wiese makes the breakthrough with the key wicket of Henriques, who comes down the track but is deceived by the slower ball to be caught behind after a breathtaking innings of 57 from 22 balls, having hit five fours and four sixes.

He and Warner turned the SH innings on it's head as they put on 103 runs for the second wicket.

Eoin Morgan gets off the mark with a single as it starts to drizzle.

A good over under the circumstances from Wiese, giving away eight runs while getting the wicket of Henriques.

Sunrisers 117-1 (9 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Leg-spinner Chahal comes back. Warner switch hits the first ball and it goes a long way over square leg fence for a six, the 600th of the tournament.

He again tries the same shot but this time gets just two runs before Henriques races to his fifty from just 20 balls with two runs on the leg side.

He lofts the last ball straight down the ground over long-on for a six as Chahal goes for 17 to continue the flow of runs.

Sunrisers have reached 117 for one in nine overs with Henriques on 57 from 21 balls and Warner on 45 from 28 balls with the duo having added 98 runs from 55 balls so far.

Sunrisers 100-1 (8 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Starc comes back as RCB are desperate to break this rampaging partnership. Warner drives the first ball on the off-side for a single before Henriques gets another lifeline.

He hits it straight to Sarfaraz Khan at point, who drops the straight forward opportunity. RCB's fielding has been a big let down with Henriques already dropped twice and had a missed run out opportunity.

And Starc gifts Warner a full toss which he hits through the covers for a four.

He again makes room and drives it to sweeper cover and sprints back for two runs followed by one.

Henriques turns the last ball square on the leg side for another two runs as Sunrisers reach 100 for one in eight overs.

Henriques has dominated from the word go to hammer 49 from 19 balls while Warner is a bit sedate on 36 from 24 balls.

Sunrisers 89-1 (7 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Harshal Patel is back and he is unlucky not to get a wicket with the first delivery.

Henriques lofts it over the off-side field but Mandeep at long-off fails to hold on and also gives away a four. The righ-hander plays a cute late cut which goes past the wicketkeeper for another boundary followed by two runs to midwicket.

Harshal, who switches to round the wicket, bowls a wide on the off-side as he looks to slant it across the right-hander.

Henriques is unstoppable at the moment as he carts a length delivery over long-off for his third six as he races to 42 from 15 balls.

He is also enjoying some luck as Harshal beats him with the slower ball but the ball hits the edge at the bottom of the bat and goes over short thirdman for a four.

Henriques is struck on the pads off the last ball as it goes straight back to the bowler but he fails to hits the stumps from close despite the batsmen well out of his crease.

Another productive over for Sunrisers as Harshal goes for 21 runs in his second with Sunrisers racing to 89 for one in seven overs.

Sunrisers 68-1 (6 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Warner gives the charge as Dinda bowls a high full toss which is surprisingly called a full toss for height and goes for a run to long-off and Henriques gets one from the next.

Henriques on the charge as he smashes it through the covers for a four and Dinda makes it worse for himself as he oversteps to give away a free hit.

Henriques smashes the free hit ball over long-off for a six before he takes a single from the last ball.

Dinda is hit for 18 runs in his second over as Sunrisers smash 35 from the last two overs to race to 68 for one in six overs.

Henriques has smashed his way to 26 from 11 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes, while Warner is on 28 from 20 balls.

Sunrisers 50-1 (5 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Ashok Dinda, playing his first match of IPL 8, will have a bowl now. Henriques takes a single from the first ball before Warner gets one from the next on the leg side.

A full delivery is driven on the off-side by Henriques for a single and Warner gets one to midwicket.

Dinda bowls another good yorker to Henriques who inside edges it back on to his pads but the batsmen steal a quick single as the pacer makes a desperate effort to stop the run.

The last ball is again a good yorker which Warner digs out for one as Dinda makes a superb start, conceding just six singles.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal comes into the attack. Warner smashes the first ball through the covers for a boundary and drives the next ball to the same area but this time gets just one.

Henriques goes back and turns the third ball on the leg side for one to bring his captain back on strike, who also takes a single.

Henriques comes down and lofts it straight back over the bowler's head for a massive six. He crashes the next through the covers where AB de Villiers in the deep makes a diving effort but can't stop the four.

17 runs from Chahal's first over as Sunrisers race to 50 for one in five overs.

Sunrisers 27-1 (3 ovs) vs RCB | Scorecard

Harshal Patel to bowl the second over. Dhawan hits the second ball past point for two runs and the next one on the off-side for a single.

Warner plays and misses the fourth ball before he hits the next one down the ground for two runs. He smashes the last ball straight down the ground for a four as nine runs come from the over.

David Wiese comes into the attack. Dhawan goes after him straightaway as he pulls the first ball over mid-on for a four but is caught on the leg side as he attempts the same shot off the next ball.

Ashok Dinda takes a simple catch at mid-on as Dhawan walks back for eight in the third over.

Wiese bowls a leg side wide to Moises Henriques who also manages to take a run after wicketkeeper Karthik fumbles.

Warner then comes down the track and lofts it straight for a four as Wiese goes for 12 runs in his first over.

Sunrisers 6-0 (1 ov) vs RCB | Scorecard

Mitchell Starc to open the bowling for RCB and facing him is compatriot David Warner, who has been in splendid form throughout the IPL.

The left-hander gets an inside edge off the second ball for two runs on the leg side before he takes one from the next ball.

A leg bye for Dhawan before Warner picks another one on the leg side and the left-hander mishits the pull shot off the last ball to mid-on for another run as six runs come from the first over.

The umpires have announced that the match will start at 2240 IST and it will be a 11-overs-a-side contest.

Hopefully the rain will stay away and there would be no further stoppages.

It has stopped raining and the umpires have said they will conduct an inspection at 2215 IST to take a decision on when the match can start!

The rain stopped briefly for a few minutes and just as the groundstaff were about to take of the covers, it starts to drizzle yet again.

The wait continues for both teams and the large number of supporters inside the stadium and have been braving the rain for the last couple of hours.

But they are still hopeful are there is still a lot of time on hand before the match can be called off.

2328 IST is the cut-off time for a five-overs a side match!

The rain has returned which means the covers have been forced back thereby again delaying the start of the game.

"The rain has sadly returned. It's only a light shower, but the covers are back on and more are slowly being added. This could be one of those days of frustration. As I've typed this, it's got a bit heavier, and we definitely won't be starting at 20:50," said IPL on their official website.

The umpires have decided that the match will start at 2050 IST and it will be a full 20 over game.

Some good news from Hyderabad as the rain has finally stopped and the covers are being taken off.

The umpires will conduct an inspection at 2025 IST.

It has started raining heavily immediately after the completion of the toss and it looks like the start of the match will be delayed.

We are looking set for a long delay with a heavy spell of rain slashing the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad.

Talking of team news, Ishant Sharma has been dropped to make way for Praveen, while Steyn replaces Trent Boult.

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has won the toss and elected to bat against RCB.

South African speedster Dale Steyn has made a comeback to the team and so does India's veteran pacer Praveen Kumar.

For Bangalore, left-armer Sreenath Aravind misses out with an injury and is replaced by Ashok Dinda.

An upbeat Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to carry on their winning momentum to book a berth in the play-offs when they take on an equally-keen Royal Challengers Bangalore in a crucial Indian Premier League match at Uppal, in Hyderabad, on Friday.

The David Warner-led side is on a roll at the business end of the tournament, having won three straight games, to stay in contention for a place among the final-four.

Royal Challengers, though, are in a tight spot after losing to bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab in a rain-curtailed game on Wednesday. The Virat Kohli-led side is also in the race for a play-offs berth with 13 points from 12 matches.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, with 14 points from 12 games, found their rhythm last week against Rajasthan Royals, who are also in final-four contention, when their top-order combined well to help them post 201.

Accused of heavily relying on 'Orange Cap' holder Warner, who leads the run-getters chart with 504 runs in 12 games, they had Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques and Eoin Morgan score significant runs in the team's seven-run victory over Rajasthan Royals.