KKR vs RCB weather report: Will rain spoil IPL 2025 opening ceremony and season-opening match in Kolkata?

The 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets underway in Kolkata on Saturday with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) facing three-time runners-up Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the hallowed Eden Gardens. KKR had defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final last year to win their third title, and as is customary in the IPL, begin their title defence in the season-opening game at their home ground.

Both teams, additionally, will be looking for a fresh start in the upcoming game after undergoing a change of leadership over the past 10 months.

Ajinkya Rahane replaces Shreyas Iyer as the Knight Riders captain, with the latter joining Punjab Kings for Rs 26.75 crore and later being appointed their skipper after getting released ahead of the mega auction.

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The Royal Challengers, on the other hand, have backed Rajat Patidar to end their title drought that has spanned all 17 seasons of the world’s biggest T20 league till date. Like KKR, RCB also chose to release skipper Faf du Plessis into the auction pool after reaching the playoffs last season, bowing out with a defeat in the Eliminator.

Will rain dampen the spirits in Kolkata during the IPL 2025 opening match between KKR and RCB?

For cricket fans in Kolkata, and for those eagerly waiting for the cricketing carnival that is the IPL to return to their television sets, smartphones, personal computers and other devices, there might be some bad news in store as far as the season-opener between KKR and RCB is concerned.

The weather forecast for Kolkata on Accuweather.com, after all, suggests a 90 per cent chance of rain in the ‘City of Joy’ with an 18 per cent chance of thunderstorms. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an “Orange Alert” for Friday and Saturday for parts of West Bengal including its capital Kolkata.

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And it’s not just rain that could be disrupting Saturday’s proceedings, with the possibility of lightning and hail also included in the alert.

The Eden Gardens was entirely covered on the eve of the season opener as rain had forced both teams to end their practice sessions earlier than scheduled.