Kolkata and Punjab share spoils in rain-marred clash; Mumbai take on Lucknow in clash of playoff hopefuls

An electrifying opening partnership and a towering total from Punjab Kings were washed away by a sudden and fierce thunderstorm as their clash with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was abandoned without a result at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday night.

In a rare move at Eden this season, Punjab Kings chose to bat first after winning the toss, and how well they made that decision count. Powered by a stunning 120-run opening stand between youngster Priyansh Arya and the explosive Prabhsimran Singh, PBKS piled up a formidable 201/4 on a pitch described by both camps as “very dry” and “extremely slow”.

But just as the action was set to resume for the chase, a sudden downpour, accompanied by strong winds and flying debris, forced players off the field after just one over of the second innings.

Despite the best efforts of the ground staff battling the stormy conditions, the rain proved relentless. After a delay that extended past the one-hour mark — the official cutoff time before overs would start getting deducted — the match was eventually called off.

As a result, both teams had to settle for one point apiece, a result that left Punjab Kings visibly frustrated after setting up the contest so well.

The Punjab Kings’ innings was all about the sparkling partnership between Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who took apart the KKR bowling in a clinical fashion. Arya was in sublime touch right from the start, effortlessly caressing cover drives and dispatching anything loose, while Prabhsimran played the perfect foil before unleashing his array of strokes.

The openers stormed to 43 without loss in just four overs and ended the power-play strongly at 56/0. Spin slowed the innings briefly — with only 21 runs coming in the next four overs — but Arya shifted gears with supreme maturity. He brought up his half-century in just 27 balls, punishing the fast bowlers while respecting the spinners.

The 100-run stand came up in the 11th over, featuring a rare expensive over from Sunil Narine, who conceded 22 runs — his third-most expensive over in T20 cricket. Arya eventually fell for a dazzling 69 off 35 balls to Andre Russell, but not before providing the perfect launchpad.

Prabhsimran, after a watchful start, exploded into life. He went from 34 off 32 balls to smashing 48 runs off his next 15 deliveries, including a sensational switch-hit six off Narine.

His eventual 83 off 49 balls was a masterclass in controlled aggression. However, Punjab’s middle-order stumbled slightly after his dismissal, with Shreyas Iyer (25 off 16) and Glenn Maxwell (7) failing to capitalise, while Marco Jansen’s promotion to No. 5 backfired as he struggled for timing. Nonetheless, PBKS posted a strong 201/4 — a total that looked even bigger given the slow, gripping nature of the Eden surface.

Marco Jansen bowled the solitary over for PBKS, conceding five runs before the heavens opened. In a matter of minutes, the outfield became waterlogged, the covers were seen flying into the stands, and the scene turned chaotic with rubbish swirling around.

Meanwhile, on a high after four wins in a row and rising to the fourth position in the points table, Mumbai Indians will be hoping to ride the momentum when they meet Lucknow Super Giants in Match 45 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

Mumbai Indians are currently in the fourth position with 10 points from nine matches and would be aiming to strengthen their case for a place in the playoffs with another win. Their opponents, Lucknow Super Giants also have 10 points from nine matches but are down at sixth position on net run rate.

Hardik Pandya’s team has finally found its mojo after starting their IPL 2025 campaign with back-to-back defeats and suffering losses in two successive matches again. One of those defeats was against LSG at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Sunday’s clash at the Wankhede Stadium presents them an opportunity for revenge. They have got a nice rhythm going with talismanic opener Rohit Sharma getting back into form with back-to-back half-centuries while Suryakumar Yadav is now at his usual inventive and destructive best hitting unbelievable angles and scoring runs at a fast clip.

Agencies