Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), nearly missed the team bus on Saturday, March 22, before the club’s first game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the storied Eden Gardens in Kolkata, according to a video that has gone viral on social media.
Ajinkya Rahane appeared to be hurrying towards the team bus that was heading to the stadium for KKR’s practice session without him, according to the video. Nevertheless, the video’s legitimacy has not yet been verified.
Ajinkya Rahane is seen racing with a bat in his hands in the footage, attempting to board the team bus before it leaves.
Over the past three days, Kolkata has seen light to moderate rains. On Wednesday and Thursday, there was some light rain in the city, but both teams were still able to finish their practices.
Take a look at the video below.
KKR team bus leaving without their captain Rahane 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/j9GjlqyKcl
— Pick-up Shot (@96ShreyasIyer) March 21, 2025
In the opening game of an IPL season, the Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers will only play one another twice. In the first season, they faced off in the curtain raiser in Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In that historic match, Brendon McCullum was the star of the show as the Knights won by 140 runs thanks to his 158 not out.
This season, the Knights are the reigning champions. After being recruited by the team during the massive auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Rahane took over as manager in lieu of Shreyas Iyer.
Rajat Patidar, who took over from Faf du Plessis, is leading the Royal Challengers into a new era. The Madhya Pradesh batsman has performed admirably for the team and now wants to use his leadership skills to lead the group to victory.
The demand for tickets is quite admirable, and the scene is set for a fierce fight. The weather outlook isn’t very encouraging, though. An “orange alert” has been issued for the region by the Indian Met Department (IMD). According to the warning, “strong winds, thunderstorms, lightning, and light to moderate rainfall are expected” until Saturday. Supporters will be hoping that the weather holds out and that the players will have the opportunity to show off their abilities at the beautiful location.
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