Watch: Ajinkya Rahane almost missed team bus before IPL 2025 opener, claims video

Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), nearly missed the team bus on Saturday, March 22, before the club’s first game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the storied Eden Gardens in Kolkata, according to a video that has gone viral on social media.

Rahane appeared to be hurrying towards the team bus that was heading to the stadium for KKR’s practice session without him, according to the video.

Ajinkya Rahane is seen racing with a bat in his hands in the footage, attempting to board the team bus before it leaves.

Nevertheless, the video’s legitimacy has not yet been verified.

Over the past three days, Kolkata has seen light to moderate rains. On Wednesday and Thursday, there was some light rain in the city, but both teams were still able to finish their practices.

Watch the video below:

KKR team bus leaving without their captain Rahane 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/j9GjlqyKcl

— Pick-up Shot (@96ShreyasIyer) March 21, 2025

The opening game of an IPL season will be the lone meeting between the Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers. Their last curtain-raiser matchup took place at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the first season. The highlight of the historic match was Brendon McCullum, who helped the Knights win by 140 runs with 158 not out.

This season’s reigning champions are the Knights. Rahane was brought on board by the team during the Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, mega-auction and took over as manager in place of Shreyas Iyer.

With Rajat Patidar taking over as manager in place of Faf du Plessis, the Royal Challengers are also beginning a new era. After performing admirably for the squad as a batsman, the Madhya Pradesh player now wants to use his leadership skills to lead the team to victory.

There will be a fierce battle, and the demand for tickets is very impressive. But the weather outlook isn’t looking good. The region is under a “orange alert” from the Indian Met Department (IMD). The warning stated that until Saturday, “strong winds, thunderstorms, lightning, and light to moderate rainfall are expected.” Supporters are hoping the weather holds out so the players can show off their abilities at the beautiful location.