IPL 2022: Eden Gardens press box damaged due to thunderstorm, Gujarat Titans flight delayed ahead of playoffs

The city of Kolkata experienced heavy rain and thunderstorm on Saturday evening which caused damage at Eden Gardens where the first two matches of the IPL 2022 playoffs between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals is supposed to take place on Tuesday (May 23). The Nor'wester, which is locally called Kalbaisakhi, lashed parts of the state including the metropolis, causing damage to the stadium which is slated to host back-to-back IPL matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.

So the entire roof from the stand at the high court end has been taken off... The new erection will be done post the IPL playoffs... Playoffs will be played without any roof cover there.
The last of the old structure roofs is gone now.. #EdenGardens #IPLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/SQJ48QLy5y

— Rahul Kumar (@rahulk_1019) May 22, 2022

The squall shattered the glass covers of the press box, while a few hoardings and the cover were also blown away by the thunderstorm which was accompanied by a wind speed of 90 kmph according to the Met department.

A CAB official said the damages were minor and will not affect their preparation for the matches. "We still have two days in between. Everything will be ready and the press box glass will be fixed in time," said an official.

Eden Gardens damaged after a thunderstorm #Kolkata #Edengardens pic.twitter.com/I2cXOXsCbS

— Akash Kharade (@cricaakash) May 22, 2022

“The BCCI president inspected the venue after the rains and storm and discussed a few things with the CAB chief. Even though there has been some damage due to the rain, we are confident of putting everything back in shape before the playoff fixtures,” a source in the Board told Sportstar.
“Soon after the rain stopped, the covers were reinstalled. The situation is under control now and there is no reason to press the panic button,” the source said.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also visited the venue after the thunderstorm to take stock of the situation.

Gujarat Titans flight delayed

The turbulent weather also disrupted air operations which were suspended for one and half hours, delaying many flights including that of Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans. "Air operation was suspended for close to one and half hours during the squall and GT flight might have got delayed because of this," an ATC official told PTI.

The Gujarat Titans flight, which had a scheduled landing at 5pm, reportedly went over the Bangladesh air space and finally landed after a two-hour delay. "The players were scared but everyone landed safely and checked into the team hotel," said an official.

The first Qualifier between the top two teams will be played on Tuesday, while the Eliminator, between the third and fourth placed teams, will be on the next day. As per report, at least two persons were killed in West Bengal because of the Nor'wester on Saturday evening. According to the Met department, more rains are forecast in the coming days.