Calcutta: The CAB authorities feel that the unseasonal showers will hardly affect the preparations for the IPL matches to be held at the Eden from April 20.

“You can’t help when it rains… Even the best of cricket grounds like Lord’s will not be able to host any match if it rains heavily for few hours,” CAB joint secretary Amitava Banerjee said. “But I feel rain will stop and preparations will be over before the match,” he said.

In their first home match, the Kolkata Knight Riders will face Deccan Chargers on April 20. The city team however will open their campaign against Bangalore Royal Challengers in an away match on April 18.

The camp for the local side is scheduled to start from April 12. CAB president Prasun Mukherjee said: “Rain has obviously hampered the ground preparations… But we can’t help it. We have kept the pitch covered and will do the needful when the rain stops.”

Asked whether rain can play spoilsport during the league matches, Mukherjee said: “We have a good drainage system and that will surely help us… I am confident of some good games ahead.”

Curator Kalyan Mitra, however, admitted that rain has affected severely. “I really have no idea what to do. I planned to start the preparations a few days early but the rain is spoiling everything,” Mitra rued. “With about two weeks left, I’m already feeling the pressure and quite tense about how to finish of the job.”