There was a fair bit of overnight rain in Kolkata, the venue for the IPL 2025 opener between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), but around mid-day, the sun made an appearance to raise hopes of an uninterrupted game. The forecast, though, is for overcast conditions to remain for most of the day and for occasional showers throughout the day, including during match time.
A bulletin from the Indian Met Department on Friday had said an "orange alert" had been issued for the region - Gangetic West Bengal.
Kolkata has been hit by spells of persistent - though not heavy - rain in the lead up to the season opener with rain cutting short both teams' training sessions on Friday. Earlier in the week, a KKR intra-squad practice match was washed out after only one innings. Light rain had hit the city on Wednesday and Thursday too, although both teams completed their training sessions then.
The KKR vs RCB fixture is scheduled for a 7pm toss and a 7.30pm start. The league stage of the IPL allows for an extra hour of time extension, which means a five-overs-a-side game must end by midnight. In case of a no-result, the two will share one point each.
After the game at Eden Gardens, defending champions KKR travel to Guwahati to face Rajasthan Royals (RR) on March 26, while RCB fly to Chennai to face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 28.
An opening ceremony has also been planned before the toss.