IPL 2025 weather update: Kolkata weather report for March 22 for KKR vs RCB match

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 curtain raiser on Saturday, March 22. The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the contest.

The Knight Riders have retained the core group of players from the squad that won the tournament last year. Moreover, they have made some key acquisitions, signing Ajinkya Rahane, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, and Manish Pandey among others.

Led by Rahane, KKR will look to begin from where they left off last season. They have a well-rounded squad that can defend the title this year, and will look to kickstart IPL 2025 with a win over RCB.

The Royal Challengers made it to the playoffs last season after beating the Chennai Super Kings in a must-win clash. However, they lost to the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator to crash out of the competition.

However, Bengaluru have completely revamped their squad and have appointed Rajat Patidar as their captain. They also made some statement signings at the mega auction last year, roping in Phil Salt, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, and Josh Hazlewood among others.

With a balanced squad at their disposal, RCB would be desperate to get the monkey off the shoulder and end their trophy drought in the IPL.

A massive turnout is expected at Eden Gardens for the IPL 2025 opening ceremony followed by the blockbuster match between KKR and RCB. However, rain might play spoilsport on Saturday night in Kolkata.

According to IMD, there is thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds expected in and around Kolkata on March 21 and 22. Moreover, the city has been put on Yellow Alert because of thunderstorms.

According to AccuWeather, there is a significant chance of precipitation, which might delay the proceedings or even cause a complete washout. The temperatures, meanwhile, will hover between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius with relatively no humidity at all.

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Aakash Chopra picks RCB's probable playing XI for IPL 2025

Former India cricketer recently picked RCB's probably playing XI for IPL 2025. He picked wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt as Virat Kohli's opening partner followed by skipper Rajat Patidar at No. 3. The cricketer-turned-commentator then named Liam Livingstone, Tim David, and Jitesh Sharma as finishers.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said (from 15:30 onwards):

"Firstly, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli, the two openers. You will want to go with them. Then Rajat Patidar would think whether he should himself come at No. 3 or give a chance to Devdutt Padikkal. If he doesn't play Devdutt Padikkal, he could include Manoj Bhandage in the team. So that could be a toss-up."

"Then Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone after Rajat Patidar. You can play Tim David with Liam Livingstone if you wish to go with Indian bowling and all-rounders. After that, Manoj Bhandage, Krunal Pandya, and then the bowlers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood, if he is available, or else Nuwan Thushara might be seen playing," he added.