The IPL 2025 league stage is approaching its final stretch. With playoff qualification on the line, all eyes are on the Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) fixture scheduled for Wednesday night.

The match is set to take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

It's not form, fitness, or team strategy causing concern. It's the weather. A yellow alert has been issued for the city for Wednesday by the India Meteorological Department, raising fears of match disruption. As fans and teams gear up for this virtual quarter-final, the looming threat of a washout has thrown the high-stakes contest into uncertainty.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai and other districts of Maharashtra for the next four days, starting from May 20. The IMD forecast indicates Mumbai and other districts are likely to receive moderate to heavy rainfall. The weather forecast has raised serious doubts about the feasibility of holding the MI vs DC match.

Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal has written to the IPL authorities, requesting the match be moved to another city due to the expected downpour, according to an ESPNcricinfo report. His request follows the league's decision to shift the May 23 Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad clash to Lucknow due to similar concerns.

"The forecast in Mumbai is for heavy rains and there is a strong likelihood that the game will be washed out," Jindal wrote in an email to the IPL on May 20, the ESPNcricinfo report said.

He added that the RCB vs SRH match was shifted from Bengaluru to maintain consistency. Similarly, he requested that the MI vs DC game also be relocated. This request was made due to the rainfall forecast for Mumbai on May 21 by the weather agency.

The Mumbai Indians Vs Delhi Capitals match could determine one of the final teams making it to the playoffs. According to ESPNcricinfo, if MI wins, they will secure a spot in the playoffs. But if DC wins, neither team will qualify yet, and the battle for the final playoff spot will continue into their remaining league matches. Both teams still have a game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) after this match. In the event of a washout and points being shared, MI will rise to 15 and DC to 14, adding pressure on both to perform in their final matches.

The issue of rain has received considerable attention this season. Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chief executive Venky Mysore wrote to the IPL expressing that the defending champions felt "aggrieved" because the new rain rule - allowing an additional 120 minutes to complete games in case of rain - was not applied when the IPL restarted after a brief pause. On May 17, during the first match after the resumption, the RCB vs KKR game in Bengaluru was washed out, ending KKR's hopes of reaching the playoffs.

As the race for the final playoff spot intensifies and rain clouds loom over Mumbai, both fans and teams are anxiously awaiting a decision. Will the IPL choose to relocate the Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals match, or will the game go ahead under uncertain, overcast conditions?