Kolkata Metro arranges special services for IPL 2025 opener

Special late-night services on the Blue Line and Green Line-2 have been announced by Kolkata Metro for the Saturday, March 22 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025

Opening match between the reigning champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens. This setup was put in place to give gamegoers comfortable transportation.

After the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) requested it on behalf of KKR, the decision was reached to run longer metro services. In light of the anticipated volume of spectators at Eden Gardens, officials have implemented stringent procedures to avoid crowding and offer convenient transportation choices for fans heading home late at night.

The Blue Line and Green Line-2 will offer special metro services from Esplanade station, covering key routes to serve stadium attendees heading home. The Old Esplanade and New Esplanade Metro stations will continue to have booking counters available throughout this time to sell paper-based QR tickets, tokens, and smart cards. There will be an additional fee of INR 10 per ticket on top of the standard rate, though.

Blue Line Special Services:

Towards Dakshineswar: A special metro (Spl.1) will depart from Esplanade at 00:15 hours and reach Dakshineswar at 00:48 hours.

Towards Kavi Subhas: Another special metro (Spl.2) will leave Esplanade at 00:15 hours and arrive at Kavi Subhas at 00:48 hours. Both services will stop at all stations along their respective routes.

Green Line-2 Special Service:

Towards Howrah Maidan: A single special train (Spl.1) will operate from Esplanade at 00:15 hours and reach Howrah Maidan at 00:23 hours.

Grim weather forecast for KKR vs RCB

Meanwhile, weather conditions might play a spoilsport in the season opener. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rainfall in Kolkata leading up to March 22 due to an anticyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal. The Regional Meteorological Centre has also issued an orange alert for parts of West Bengal from March 20 to March 22.

Interestingly, both KKR and RCB will be led by new captains. KKR has appointed Ajinkya Rahane as their skipper with Venkatesh Iyer as his deputy, while Rajat Patidar will be leading RCB replacing Faf du Plessis. Furthermore, the opening match will begin with a grand ceremony featuring popular singer Shreya Ghoshal, rapper Karan Aujla, and actress Disha Patani.