Hayden says as KKR vs PBKS gets halted due to rain and winds in Kolkata

The Indian Premier League game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was first halted and then eventually called off because of thunderstorm in Kolkata that former cricketer Matthew Hayden termed as ‘absolute chaos’. Hayden said that the winds were so strong that he saw people sitting on the covers, getting “launched in the air” as they tried to hold down the covers on the ground to prevent waterlogging. Hosts Kolkata were set a target of 202 runs in the game and were 7/0 after one over when the game was halted.

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The Eden Gardens ground is covered with sheets as rain in Kolkata halted the IPL 2025 game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. (EXPRESS PHOTO by Partha Paul)

The Eden Gardens ground is covered with sheets as rain in Kolkata halted the IPL 2025 game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. (EXPRESS PHOTO by Partha Paul)

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Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden, who is in Kolkata for the host broadcaster JioHotstar, pointed behind him on the live broadcast and called the situation, “absolute chaos”. The Eden Gardens ground has been completely covered with white covers, but some covers were blown off due to excessive winds.

The ground staff at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata try to prevent the covers from blowing off in the face of strong gusts of wind. (Express Photo by Partha Paul) The ground staff at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata try to prevent the covers from blowing off in the face of strong gusts of wind. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Hayden said that the ground staff were actually sitting on the covers in Kolkata to prevent them from blowing off since there seemed to be no weights to keep them fixed on the ground. He summed the situation as watching “featherweights in a heavyweight contest”.

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“There was one portion of the covers, which had about six people standing on it, it got blown off and all those guys were launched up into the air. And then the cover disappeared into the crowd. It’s been carnage here,” Hayden said on JioHotstar. “It started with a dust storm, which was exciting enough as it was and then we had sideways rain that completely caught the ground staff unawares. Currently you can see behind me, they’re all sitting on the covers because they don’t have the weights that actually weigh down the covers. There’s a win that’s whistling about at 60-70 kilometres an hour and it been a real spectacle besides the batting we have seen from the Punjab Kings batting.”

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Asked what he was hearing from the locals about the weather conditions and whether there would be a game possible, Hayden said: “I don’t know about the locals but my eyes are telling me it’s raining. And quite hard! It’s been extremely humid.”

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