Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Match starts at 8PM
Kolkata has been experiencing hot and humid weather conditions for the past few days and it will be no different today evening when home team Kolkata Knight Riders plays Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens in the 47th cricket T20 game.
A partly cloudy day in Kolkata would become mainly clear by the time the match starts. This will drive the temperatures down by at least 6 to 8 degrees from 39 degrees in the afternoon. This would turn out to be a big relief not only for the players but also for the spectators.
Strong southerly winds at around 25 to 30 kmph will be witnessed in Kolkata. Winds are coming in from the Bay of Bengal and will increase the humidity levels to 60 to 80% during the match. Dehydration, especially of the players has to be taken care of.
Rajasthan Royals has been playing 5 pacers in their home matches but it might opt to drop one or two of them to include spinners as there will not be much help for swing bowlers on a slow and low pitch under a mainly clear sky. Swing bowling usually becomes effective in cloudy or overcast conditions.
Photograph by sankarshan