Kolkata Knight Riders secured their first point of the season after their IPL match against Punjab Kings was abandoned at Eden Gardens on Monday due to heavy rain and a wet outfield.
KKR were 25 for 2 in 3.4 overs when the rain started. The cut-off time was moved to 11.14 pm, but play did not resume. Punjab Kings also earned a point and moved to the top of the table with five points from three games.
Kolkata now have one point from three matches, ahead of Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings, who have yet to score. The KKR-PBKS fixture at Eden Gardens during IPL 2025 had also been called off because of rain.
KKR’s next home match, against Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday, is also expected to see rain. Rain and wind began at the stadium from 9 pm, turning into a thunderstorm.
The wind was strong enough to shake the Eden press box, supported by iron beams, resembling an 'earthquake'. The drizzle eased around 10.30 pm, and ground staff removed the covers.
The pitch and outfield were mostly intact, with small puddles near the boundary lines from water runoff. On-field umpires Abhijeet Bengeri and J. Madanagopal inspected the ground.
Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly also checked the surface. After discussions with KKR skipper Rahane and Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer, the match was called off at 11 pm.
KKR, without frontline spinners Sunil Narine and an injured Varun Chakravarthy, chose to bat first, but their start backfired. Xavier Bartlett struck twice in three balls in the second over, dismissing KKR’s overseas batters Finn Allen (6) and Cameron Green (4).
Pacer Arshdeep Singh had set the tone in the first over, with Allen edging and missing several deliveries before Bartlett completed the dismissals.
Allen survived a few close calls, including a near yorker, before edging an inside-out drive outside off for a faint nick. Promoted to No. 3 ahead of Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Green, the highest-paid overseas player at Rs 25.20 crore, continued to struggle.
Bartlett struck again with a back-of-the-length delivery, swinging away to induce another loose shot. With Bartlett in control and KKR on the back foot, Rahane and Raghuvanshi began rebuilding before the drizzle returned at 7.45 pm.
Eden Gardens’ full covers were deployed quickly, but rain continued, forcing spectators to leave. Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood superstar and KKR co-owner, made his first appearance of the season at Eden Gardens, witnessing the rain-hit match.
