Both teams are heading into the tournament with fresh leadership—Ajinkya Rahane captaining KKR and Rajat Patidar leading RCB for the first time.
While KKR will look to begin their title defence on a strong note, RCB will be eager to break past struggles and start their campaign with a win. However, weather concerns loom over the much-awaited opener, with rain and thunderstorms forecasted in Kolkata.
Kolkata weather report
According to weather forecasts, Kolkata is expected to witness heavy showers and thunderstorms on match day, potentially affecting the start or duration of the game.
The Regional Meteorological Centre of Kolkata has issued an orange alert, warning of thunderstorms with lightning and strong winds. Rainfall is expected to begin on Friday evening and could extend into Saturday morning, raising concerns about a delayed or interrupted match. However, forecasts also indicate that the rainfall probability drops to 25% by the evening, offering some hope for play to resume as scheduled.
Additionally, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted gusty winds between 40-60 km/h due to an anti-cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal.
KKR vs RCB: Eden Gardens pitch report
The pitch at Eden Gardens has traditionally been a balanced surface, offering assistance to both batters and bowlers. Early on, pacers can expect some swing due to the humidity, while spinners often find turn as the match progresses. Historically, the venue has been a high-scoring ground, with batters enjoying the shorter boundaries and true bounce. However, with rain in the forecast, moisture in the surface could make stroke play tricky, and bowlers might get extra movement early in the game.
Squads
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.
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