As the lights return to the Eden Gardens and the purple and gold faithful gear up for another electrifying season, the Kolkata Knight Riders are ready to defend their crown in style. The IPL 2025 curtain-raiser pits them against familiar foes Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team still chasing that elusive title, and hungry as ever.

For KKR, the focus is to build on last season’s dominance and start strong. Leading the charge with ball in hand is Varun Chakaravarthy, whose breakout season in 2024 was instrumental in guiding the Indian team’s to a third Champions Trophy title. With RCB in his sights once more, the spinner isn’t dwelling on past glories.

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Reflecting on his track record against Bengaluru, Varun downplayed any special motivation, attributing his success to match situations that worked in his favour.

“Nothing in specific, just the situation of those matches which helped me pick wickets. In all those games the conditions and the situations were completely favourable towards us so I was able to extract the best possible result,” he said on the eve of the contest, which is facing a rain threat.

When asked about the mood in the KKR camp and the team’s readiness for title defence, he expressed quiet confidence.

“The squad looks good. I think it’s about cracking the code and having the best playing XI performing consistently. If we are able to get a set in the first 3 matches, then we have great chances ahead in this season,” he explained.

Coming off an impressive run with the national team, Varun spoke about the evolution of his game.

“The main thing is working on consistency, which is the toughest thing to master and I’m putting in constant work in order to achieve that. And of course, I’m working on a few other deliveries which I’m hoping will come off nicely in the upcoming games,” he said.

The three-time champions will be looking forward to adding to the winning streak with consecutive wins in the last four games against RCB. With a favourable 20-14 head-to-head record, the home side will be eager to kick off their title defence with a victory.

And as Eden Gardens braces for thunder — both from the skies and the on-field action — KKR’s mystery man remains calm, calculated and quietly confident.

Orange alert

A bulletin from the Indian Met Department (IMD) has issued an “orange alert” for the region. “Light or moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds likely” is also expected till Saturday.

The KKR vs RCB fixture is scheduled for a 7pm toss and a 7.30pm start. The league stage of the IPL allows for an extra hour of time extension, which allows a five-over-a-game side to end by midnight.