First rain-affected match in IPL 2025, both teams had to share points.
There were expectations of a great match on Saturday evening at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This IPL 2025 match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) brought the promise of excitement for cricket lovers. But the sky showed its colors and heavy rains dashed all hopes. The result? Both the teams had to share one point each and the first incomplete match of the season went down in history.
PBKS batting prowess
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Punjab Kings got off to a great start. Openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh spewed fire on the field. Together, they shared a 120-run partnership in 72 balls and took the team to a strong score of 201/4. Priyansh made his intentions clear by hitting a four off the very first ball. His 69-run innings off 35 balls included 8 fours and 4 sixes. At the same time, Prabhsimran hit 83 runs off 49 balls, which included 6 fours and 6 sixes.
The special moment came when Priyansh completed his half-century by hitting two consecutive fours and a six off Harshit Rana. On the other hand, Prabhsimran won the hearts of the audience by scoring 22 runs in one over of Sunil Narine. Their partnership showed PBKS the way to a huge score, but the KKR bowlers made a comeback in the end.
KKR’s bowling showed strength
After the storm of Punjab batsmen, KKR bowlers did not give up. Andre Russell and Vaibhav Arora bowled brilliantly in the last four overs and allowed PBKS to score only 34 runs. Russell broke the partnership by dismissing Priyansh, while Vaibhav dismissed Prabhsimran. The cleverness of these two prevented PBKS from reaching the score of 220-230.
Rain caused disruption
When it was KKR’s turn to bat, the team scored 7 runs in the first over without losing a wicket. But then the weather changed. At 9:35 pm, storm and rain along with strong dusty winds stopped the game. The ground staff tried their best to put the cover, but the strong winds blew away the huge cover. Seeing this sight, the faces of the spectators fell.
The weather was already doubtful that evening at Eden Gardens. The sun was shining during the day but as the evening approached, clouds started hovering. The rain was so heavy that there was no scope for the game to resume. Finally, the match had to be cancelled at 11 pm.
Impact on the points table and future path
With this cancellation, KKR and PBKS got one point each. Both the teams are considering every point precious to stay in the playoff race. PBKS’ season has been full of ups and downs so far, but in this match their openers raised hopes. On the other hand, KKR has won many thrilling victories under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer but this time the rain washed away their hopes.
Thousands of spectators at Eden Gardens were eager for this match. The rain ruined the hard work of not only the players but also the fans. Now both the teams will look forward to the next matches. PBKS would like their opening pair to repeat this feat, while KKR would like to strengthen their strategy further. The excitement of IPL 2025 remains intact, fans are just praying that the rain does not spoil any game in the future.
Also Read : IPL 2025: Are CSK out of the playoffs after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad?