Xavier Bartlett of Punjab Kings and his teammates celebrate a goal by Finn Allen of Kolkata Knight Riders. (NOT a photo) NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders finally opened their account in IPL 2026, albeit in frustrating circumstances as their clash with Punjab Kings was called off due to heavy rain and a wet pitch at the Eden Gardens on Monday – marking the first washout of the season.The game was abandoned after persistent rain and strong winds prevented play from continuing, despite officials extending the timeout to 11:14 p.m. The two teams shared a point apiece with Punjab moving to the top of the table with five points from three matches while KKR now have one point from three outings.Morning blowing before the rainBefore the weather intervened, KKR initially struggled at 25 for 2 in 3.4 overs after electing to bat first. The pace attack of PBKS led by Xavier Bartlett and Arshdeep Singh hit immediately.Bartlett struck twice in quick succession, removing Finn Allen (6) and Cameron Green (4) with a fiery spell. Allen struggled with Arshdeep’s movement in the opening over before getting one over early after Bartlett was dropped, while Green’s poor run continued with another low score.With the hosts reeling, skipper Ajinkya Rahane and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi tried to stabilize the innings before a persistent drizzle halted play. What initially appeared to be a brief interruption soon turned into a full blown thunderstorm with gusty winds shaking even the iconic Eden Gardens press box.First beating of the seasonDespite a short spell of rain around 10.30pm, which allowed the ground staff to begin clean-up work, conditions did not improve enough for play to resume. On-field referees, along with officials and team captains, carried out an inspection before deciding to call off the match at around 11pm.Puddles formed in the vicinity near the boundary lines and security concerns eventually took precedence.Interestingly, this is the second season in a row that the KKR-PBKS match at Eden Gardens has been ruined, underscoring the recent weather issues.For KKR, the shared point offers some relief after two defeats, even as their quest for a first win continues. They will next face Lucknow Super Giants at home and they have again predicted rain for this match on Thursday.Meanwhile, the action shifts to Guwahati where Rajasthan Royals host Mumbai Indians in the 13th match of the season on Tuesday.
