Kolkata (West Bengal), March 21: The Kolkata Police have requested the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to reschedule the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), originally slated for April 6 at Eden Gardens. The request stems from the heavy security requirements for Ram Navami celebrations on that day.
Snehasish Ganguly, President of the CAB, confirmed that the police have informed them they will be unable to provide adequate security for the match due to the ongoing festival activities. “The Kolkata Police have requested us to reschedule the match. We have already approached the BCCI, but they have not yet confirmed if the match will be rescheduled or moved to a different venue,” Ganguly stated.
Meeraj Khalid, Joint Commissioner of Police (HQ), Kolkata, reiterated that the police had sent a formal request to the CAB, asking for the match to be rescheduled. “We have requested the rescheduling of the match, but there has been no response from the CAB yet,” Khalid said.
Eden Gardens is set to host both the opening and closing games of the IPL 2025 season. The tournament will begin with the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 and conclude with the final on May 25. Additionally, Qualifier 2 will be held at Eden Gardens on May 23, marking the first time in nearly a decade that the IPL final will be held at this iconic venue. Previous IPL finals were hosted there in 2013 and 2015.
The other two playoff matches, Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator, are scheduled to be held in Hyderabad on May 20 and May 21, respectively.
The IPL 2025 season will feature 74 matches over 65 days, including 12 double-headers.