New Delhi: The much-awaited 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season opener between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22 at Eden Gardens may be disrupted by rain. According to ESPNcricinfo, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an “Orange Alert” for Kolkata, warning of thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds, which could impact the game.
The weather forecast suggests that Friday and Saturday will see the highest chances of rain, with light to moderate showers expected throughout the day. In the lead-up to the match, Kolkata has already witnessed sporadic rainfall, forcing the cancellation of a KKR practice match after just one innings. Despite the unfavorable conditions, both teams have managed to complete their practice sessions.
The potential weather disruption adds to the anticipation of the season opener, where both franchises have seen leadership changes. Ajinkya Rahane has taken over the captaincy for KKR, while Rajat Patidar leads RCB. RCB, in particular, will be eager to break their losing streak against KKR, having failed to secure a victory in their last four encounters.
Squads for IPL 2025 Opener
KKR Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer (vc), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Quinton de Kock (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Mayank Markande, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Moeen Ali, Chetan Sakariya, Spencer Johnson.
RCB Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh.
With the unpredictable weather looming over the match, fans and teams alike are hoping the rain doesn’t dampen the excitement of IPL’s grand opening.
