Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders’ home match against Rajasthan Royals was abandoned at Eden Gardens without a ball being bowled because of heavy rain and thunderstorm, on Sunday. Field umpires Richard Illingworth and Rajesh Deshpande took the final call after their fourth inspection at 6.50pm as the home and visiting team captains Gautam Gambhir and Shane Watson were seen shaking hands and players moving out with their kits.
The bad news for the anxious packed crowd finally came at 7.15 pm when it was announced that the match was abandoned and the ticket amount would be refunded April 28 onwards. Both teams were awarded one point each as RR benefited from the result by climbing up to the top of the table replacing Chennai Super Kings (10 points) with 11 from 8 matches. KKR on the other hand stay in third place with seven points from six matches.
Earlier rain and thunderstorm began around 2pm, two hours before scheduled start of play as the ground remained under cover. The rain caused by cyclonic circulation over Jharkhand and adjoining South Bengal persisted for about three hours. The rain stopped around 5pm pressing groundsmen and three super soppers into action and the covers were removed one after another.
The rain had stopped completely to cheer the packed Eden crowd who had sat patiently and some came drenched with optimism. It took about one and half hours for the covers to be taken off but parts of the ground between the dugouts and boundary area remained under puddle of water. The cut-off time of the match was 7.20pm but the captains and umpires decided to call it off after a chat with the curator around 7.05pm.
Ankit named 16th player
Kolkata Knight Riders showed a noble gesture by including deceased cricketer Ankit Keshri as the 16th member of their side. The home side will hand over a cheque of Rs10 lakh to Ankit’s family at the post match presentation.
“We’re too happy to do so and it’s an opportunity for KKR in a small way to remember Ankit and the premature end he faced,” CEO and MD of Kolkata Knight Riders Sports Private ltd said in a letter to the Cricket Association of Bengal. The CAB also displayed a portrait of Ankit with a caption — ‘Ankit Forever’ — all over the stadium.