Con de Lange took two wickets on his home debut but the rain ensured no result was possible in Northamptonshire's CB40 match with the Unicorns.
All-rounder Luis Reece blasted an unbeaten 27 off 20 balls as the Unicorns posted 79 for three in a match reduced to 10 overs-a-side, with South African De Lange taking two for 19.
The Steelbacks were 16 for one 10 balls into their reply with Dan Wheeldon claiming the wicket of Rob Newton before the heavens opened forcing the game's abandonment.
Persistent rain meant a delayed start to the game but, after a long wait and five pitch inspections, umpires Trevor Jesty and Richard Kettleborough decided the match would finally begin at 6pm.
With the game beginning over three hours after the scheduled start, the contest would now be a much shorter affair with the minimum overs in which the match could be completed being bowled.
The Unicorns won the toss and chose to bat in the still gloomy conditions and they lost Michael Thornely for just a single with the third ball of their innings when he was bowled by Chaminda Vaas.
It soon began to drizzle again but not enough to force the players off, as wicketkeeper Tom New struck the first boundary when he crashed Vaas for four through midwicket in the third over.
De Lange was brought on in the fifth over and he had an immediate impact when he took out James Campbell's off stump with his first delivery.
Two balls later, he bowled ex-Leicestershire man New, who made 16, when he missed his attempted drive before captain Keith Parsons smashed two sixes in three De Lange deliveries two overs later.
Reece then scooped a four over third man with a shot Tillakaratne Dilshan would have been proud of off the bowling of David Willey as he and Parsons added an unbeaten 52 between them.
Chasing 80, Northamptonshire lost Rob Newton for a single with the third ball of their reply when he was trapped lbw by Wheeldon as the light continued to deteriorate.
And the rain then became much heavier in the second over after Scotland international Kyle Coetzer had hammered Warren Lee for four through square leg.
This meant a premature end and the Unicorns will look to claim their first win against the Sussex Sharks on Sunday, with Steelbacks looking to do the same against the same opponents a week later.
