The opening match of the 18th IPL season between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), scheduled for March 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, might be called off due to heavy rain expected in the city.
The IPL 2025 season will start with a grand opening ceremony featuring performances by popular singers Shreya Ghoshal and Karan Aujla, along with actress Disha Patani. However, the opening match might be affected by bad weather, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorms, lightning, and rain in Kolkata until March 22 due to an anticyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal.
“A trough runs from central Odisha to Vidarbha, and there is wind confluence over east and adjoining central India due to the above trough and anticyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal at lower tropospheric levels. Isolated to scattered light or moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds likely over sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on March 20 and 21,” IMD said.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata has issued an orange alert for some areas of West Bengal from March 20 to March 22. “Thunderstorm activity over the districts of West Bengal from 20th to 22nd March 2025. Due to the presence of favourable wind patterns & strong moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal at lower tropospheric levels, Thunderstorms with lightning and strong gusty surface winds are very likely to occur in some districts of West Bengal during 20-22 March 2025,” the regional weather forecasting agency said.
RCB and KKR Set to Clash in IPL 2025 Opener
The IPL 2025 season opener will be an important match for both teams as they begin a new chapter under fresh leadership. Rajat Patidar will lead RCB for the first time, while Ajinkya Rahane has been named KKR’s new captain, taking over from Shreyas Iyer. Venkatesh Iyer will serve as Rahane’s vice-captain.
RCB finished fourth last season after losing in the Eliminator. On the other hand, KKR bounced back from their poor performances in 2022 and 2023 to win the title. Kolkata have an advantage over RCB at the Eden Gardens, having won eight out of their 12 matches there.
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