The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly visited the Eden Gardens on Saturday evening after torrential rains wreaked havoc in Kolkata.
The iconic venue is set to host two Indian Premier League (IPL) fixtures on May 24 and 25, and with forecasts of rain, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and BCCI have taken all efforts to conduct the matches smoothly.
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New covers were brought in to protect the outfield, however, with heavy rain and storm, a part of the cover was blown away, affecting a corner of the outfield. The glass covers of the press box, which is situated in the upper tier, also shattered due to the heavy storm.
Sources in the CAB and BCCI, however, confirmed that the wicket has not been affected and with three days remaining for the playoffs, the host association will work on war-footing to bring things back into shape.
“The BCCI president inspected the venue after the rains and storm and discussed a few things with the CAB chief. Even though there has been some damage due to the rain, we are confident of putting everything back in shape before the playoff fixtures,” a source in the Board told Sportstar .
“Soon after the rain stopped, the covers were reinstalled. The situation is under control now and there is no reason to press the panic button,” the source said.
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Turbulent flight
With bad weather conditions in Kolkata, the flight services were also interrupted. While some flights were delayed or diverted to other locations, the Gujarat Titans team, which left from Mumbai in the afternoon, had a turbulent landing in the evening. The players, however, were all safe. Rajasthan Royals' flight to Kolkata was also delayed. The franchise put up a video on social media about their in-flight experience during the turbulence.
Rain threat looms
According to the weather forecast, Kolkata is expected to witness moderate or heavy rain during the match days - Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the association appears confident. With the city set to host an IPL playoffs after four years, there is a huge demand for tickets.
“The fans are looking forward to some exciting cricket and we will try our best to ensure that the matches are not affected. The CAB has state of the art facilities and hopefully, things will be fine,” a Board insider said.
Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans will feature in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, while Lucknow Super Giants will feature in the Eliminator the next day against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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