Rain threat to IPL inaugural match at Eden gardens

Heavy rains which lashed Kolkata on Friday night and on Saturday morning forced the ground staff to cover the entire playing area at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata

HYDERABAD: Heavy rains which lashed Kolkata on Friday night and on Saturday morning forced the ground staff to cover the entire playing area at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, venue of the 2025 IPL inaugural match between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Dark clouds continued to pose a serious threat to the match itself. In fact, yesterday, the practice sessions had to be curtailed because of the rain.

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The Indian Meteorological Department had issued an “orange alert” for Saturday also, warning of possible thunderstorms, gusty winds, lightning, hail, and moderate rainfall across several districts of the State including Kolkata.

According to IPL regulations, the league-stage matches have a one-hour extension window, meaning the cut-off time for a five-over match is 10:56pm, with play needing to conclude by 12:06am. The cut off time for the start of a five-over a side game is 10:56 pm.