It is expected to be a packed house when the hosts Kolkata Knight Riders take on the Mumbai Indians team in the IPL opener at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It’s a special moment for the defending champions KKR but it’s a special venue for Mumbai’s captain Rohit Sharma.
It’s here where the Mumbai batsman made his Test debut and scored a hundred. It’s here where Rohit made his record breaking highest individual score in the history of ODI cricket. It’s here where Rohit scored his IPL hundred at this very ground.
In other words, the Eden Gardens may be the home ground for the KKR team, but it’s also the second home for Rohit for the sheer numbers of runs he has scored in last few years. The KKR team is aware of that and they will try to stop another Rohit special during the first match of the league.
KKR will also be looking to start their IPL campaign on a high, but it seems clear that Mumbai are no pushovers. They won the IPL championship in the 2013 edition and they have the teams to make it count against any opposition.
This match will also be attended by all stake-holders of the Indian cricket and so the occasion is very special. A very of the Bollywood personalities are also expected to attend the match to make it a heady concoction of cricket and glamour world.
This is the match, which will set the tone for rest of the tournament. There have been quite a few of opening matches in the IPL, which are still afresh in the memories.
The Brendon McCullum knock against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural season was a very special moment for KKR then. It will be interesting to see who makes this year’s opening match a special one!
