Rain predicted in Kolkata for IPL season opener, KKR to take on RCB

The Indian Met Department (IMD) has issued an "orange alert" for the area. "Light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and strong winds are expected" until Saturday, the report said.

In the days leading up to the season opener, Kolkata experienced brief periods of rain, which resulted in one KKR inter-squad practice match being cancelled after just one innings. Light rain fell in the city on Wednesday and Thursday, although both teams managed to conclude their practice sessions.

The concern is largely with March 22, the day of the season opener, with the met department saying Friday and Saturday could witness the maximum amount of rain, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to kick off the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the iconic Eden Gardens on March 22. Both squads have experienced a change in leadership, with Ajinkya Rahane assuming command of KKR and Rajat Patidar at the helm of RCB. RCB is eager to end its string of defeats against KKR, as it has been unsuccessful in its last four meetings with them.

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.(ANI)