A joyous moment off the field caught attention even as rain had the last word in the clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens on Monday.
Soon after the match was abandoned, Shresta Iyer, sister of PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, shared a funny Instagram video that quickly went viral. In the clip, he quipped in Punjabi: “Saade Punjabiyan da dil vadda huunda hai, lo de ditta ek point,” jokingly suggesting that Punjab had generously “given away” a point after the flop.On the field, however, it was a frustrating night for both teams, as persistent rain and a wet field prevented further play. The match was stopped with KKR struggling at 25/2 in 3.4 overs and despite multiple inspections and a revised time limit, conditions never improved enough for the match to be restarted.
The shared point helped Punjab Kings climb to the top of the table with five points from three matches, continuing their good start to the season. On the contrary, KKR finally opened their account but remain under pressure with just one point from three matches.
Earlier in the evening, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane’s decision to bat seemed to backfire almost immediately. With the two frontline spinners unavailable (Sunil Narine due to illness and Varun Chakravarthy suffering from an injury), their bowling resources were already stretched thin.
Punjab’s pace attack took full advantage of the overcast conditions. Xavier Bartlett struck twice in quick succession, removing Finn Allen and Cameron Green in the same over, leaving KKR in trouble from the start. Arshdeep Singh had already set the tone with a Test opening, making life difficult for the batsmen.
Allen survived a couple of tough situations, but ultimately overcame one by trying to force the pace, while Green’s slump continued with another early dismissal. With KKR reeling, Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi began a careful rebuild before rain interrupted the process.
The weather worsened as strong winds and heavy rain battered the ground, even causing the iconic hanging press box at Eden Gardens to sway. Although there was a brief window when the covers were removed and the outfield looked largely untouched, puddles near the boundary and persistent damp meant play could not resume.
After multiple inspections involving umpires and officials, including Sourav Ganguly, the match was officially called off at 11 pm.
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The abandoned match mirrored last season’s meeting between the two teams at the same venue, which was also cancelled. For KKR, concerns continue with both form and availability, while the Punjab Kings push forward with momentum and, as Shresta’s viral video cheekily put it, perhaps a point of “big heart”.