Kol cheers turn to despair as KKR loses season’s first home match
Times of India | 3 April 2026
Kolkata: IPL fever returned to grip Kolkata on a warm Thursday. Thousands soaked in the spirit of summer cricket, slipping into KKR jerseys and making a beeline for Eden Gardens to see the home team take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first home match of the season. Fans cheered from the stands or remained glued to TVs and mobile screens as Ajinkye Rahane's men crossed swords with Ishan Kishan's team in a crucial match.
Having lost the opener to Mumbai Indians, KKR badly needed a win and fans were predictably anxious and hungry for victory. But they were left heartbroken as KKR failed to flag off their Eden campaign with a win, losing the match by 65 runs.
The day saw the return of familiar scenes around Eden Gardens with thousands making their way to the ground from as early 5 pm for a 7.30 pm start. Their faces painted in KKR colours, chants of "Korbo, lorbo, jeetbo" rent the air as fans braced for a battle of hard-hitters who promised to light up the evening with their murderous strokeplay. While KKR had Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, apart from skipper Rahane, SRH boasted an explosive line up comprising Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan. "If IPL is about sixes, there can't be a better match than this. Both have equally good hitters who can send the ball soaring into the stands. Both have lost a match each and will be hungry to win. There couldn't be a better setting for an IPL opener at the Eden than this," said KKR fan Souvik De.
Ashok Chakrabarty, who called himself ‘a super fan of KKR', came to the ground from Nabadwip. "Eden is a temple for us and, since this our first home match at this iconic venue, this is a special day," said Chakrabarty, screaming out "Dil se KKR, jaan se KKR" as he waved a team flag with his friends.
Joydeep Singha from Murshidabad said the loss in the first match had a lot of positives for KKR. "Finn Allen played a classy innings while skipper Rahane played a captain's knock. Raghuvanshi's gutsy innings, too, was heartening. Overall, the team played well. KKR has ruled Eden and since we have three consecutive home matches, this is the best chance to start winning. I expect cameos from Rinku Singh just like Ramandeep Singh did in the past. Cameron Green will be making a difference once he starts bowling. For now, we have Vaibhav Arora and Kartik Tyagi, who will hopefully bowl to their potential. But Green is a key player and he has to come good to help us progress," said Singha.
An explosive start by SRH turned Eden quiet, though. As Abhishek Sharma pulled Muzarabani for a huge six, Eden gasped. Travis Head tore into Vaibhav Arora in the next over, hitting him for two sixes and two fours.
Last year had been disappointing for fans but this is a new season, fans pointed out. "We have 13 more matches to go and we will definitely win. This is my first time at Eden and it feels surreal. Finn Allen is my favourite and I hope he turns out to be the man of the match," said Mohammed Wahidur Rehman, who came from Murshidabad to see his team play.