Purple rain. The heavens opening up at the onset of summer should be good news. But Kolkata loves its cricket, Virat Kohli is in town and there’s the small matter of the 2025 IPL opener at Eden Gardens, with Kolkata Knight Riders starting as the defending champions.
How do you describe the frenzy? Bonkers is probably the right word, although an apology is due for using cockney slang. Eden witnesses a full house almost for every IPL game. Craze goes through the roof when Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians pay a visit. No prizes for guessing, for Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma remain Indian cricket’s box-office. But even by Kolkata’s madness standards, the excitement this time appears a bit unreal. It, in fact, offers a throwback to the India-Pakistan game at the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Amid the hullabaloo, how ‘unfair’ it is for the Indian Meteorological Department’s Alipore office to throw a spanner, issuing an “orange alert”. Never mind, they are doing their job. Thunder, squalls, strong winds, lightning, hailstorms, and rainfall are predicted in the city on Saturday. Looking through the IPL lens, a damp squib in the tournament opener would be a serious let-down for the fans.
They have set the stage, invited some Bollywood stars to perform in the opening ceremony, followed by the match, where Kohli versus Varun Chakravarthy could be the biggest match-up. The former is a legend in his own right, while the tweaker is in the form of his life. “Excited to be coming up against Virat bhai,” Varun said. “Obviously, he has batted well against me and I would want to do well against him.” Indian cricketers address questions related to Kohli with deference.
Circa 2024 was the year of resurrection for the spinner, from being the second-highest wicket-taker (21) in the IPL to making a comeback to the Indian T20I side and spinning a web around the batsmen in international cricket. The carry-over effect took him to the ODIs, in the Champions Trophy, and he weaved his magic in Dubai also. Any chance of a second season (read, wind) blues? Fear not, Varun is getting ready to unleash something new this term. “Obviously, I have a few balls up my sleeve, but it will depend on other factors also,” he said.
Rain could be one external factor that is threatening to play spoilsport. On Friday, a steady drizzle aborted the pre-match practice sessions of KKR and RCB, but it couldn’t deter the crowd that assembled outside Eden. The entire outfield went under wraps, the players headed for their respective team buses, but the noise didn’t douse. “Kohli, Kohli; RCB, RCB,” was the cry from the hero-worshippers, as the rain got heavier.
Make no mistake, the city will support its own team. Every move from Kohli will be celebrated, but prayers on the lips will be for a KKR win. Ajinkya Rahane’s Knights are ahead on paper. But RCB head coach Andy Flower preferred to turn the tables. “Yes, it is very daunting; for KKR,” he quipped at the pre-match presser. “I hope it is an El Clasico tomorrow, for that will be a brilliant way to start.”
It’s a quirk of schedule that KKR and RCB are playing an IPL opener for the first time since 2008. Seventeen years ago, on a merry Bangalore evening, Brendon McCullum had launched a brutal assault on the home team at Chinnaswamy. Batting-wise, that was something hitherto relatively unknown. In the grand scheme of things, that was the night when cricket changed forever.
From fans’ perspective, the IPL has created an insatiable hunger. “Yeh dil maange more” was the iconic ad catchline of a soft drink giant in the 1990s. Every year, from mid-March to late May, cricket offers a chance to reminisce through a T20 league that sits cheek by jowl with the English Premier League (EPL) and the National Football League (NFL) in terms of brand value.
Kolkata is playing host to the opening act of the party after a long time. Unfortunately, a grand beginning is now at Mother Nature’s mercy.
KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy and RCB head coach Andy Flower refused to read too much into the IPL’s decision to lift the saliva ban. Mohammed Shami had urged the ICC to do away with it in the context of 50-over cricket.
✍🏻 @shamik100 #KKRvsRCB https://t.co/6Slmx3tBS5
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) March 21, 2025