IPL 2025 weather update: Kolkata weather report for April 3 for KKR vs SRH match
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, April 3, at the iconic Eden Gardens. It is a rematch of last season's final, which the Knight Riders won to lift their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title.
Both teams are stranded at the bottom half of the points table and will hope to turn their campaign around with a win tonight. After three games, KKR are at the bottom of the table with two points and an NRR of -1.428, while SRH find themselves two spots above with the same points and an NRR of -0.871.
KKR have looked off so far this season, with their big buck signings yet to make any significant impact. The likes of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rinku Singh, among others, haven't looked their best, which has hurt the team so far in IPL 2025.
SRH, on the other hand, resumed their campaign from where they left off last year with a comprehensive victory over the Rajasthan Royals. However, since then, they have lost two matches on the trot. The SunRisers rely heavily on their top-order, and with Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Ishan Kishan not firing in the last two outings, their chips have gone down.
With both teams in search of a victory, a cracking contest beckons fans, who are expected to fill Eden Gardens to the brim. The conditions are expected to be clear, with no rainfall in the forecast.
According to AccuWeather, the temperature will hover below the 30-degree Celsius mark. However, the humidity levels will be higher, meaning the actual feeling would be a bit higher than the mentioned temperature. Kolkata might witness sporadic rainfall in the morning, but it is unlikely to interrupt the game or cause any delay.
"The team who plays the best on the day will win" - KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo on pitch controversy
KKR have been embroiled in a pitch controversy, with curator Sujan Mukherjee turning down captain Ajinkya Rahane's request of having a spin-friendly turf. Mukherjee said he would adhere to BCCI guidelines.
Kolkata mentor Dwyane Bravo didn't seem too perturbed with the wicket, saying the team that plays good cricket on that day will win. The West Indian said (via Cricbuzz):
"I don't know much about pitches. For me, the team who plays the best on the day will win. So, whether the pitch is slow, whether it's turning, whether it's not turning, my advice to the players will always be to make the necessary assessments and play according to the conditions."