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"6 Guys Launched Up In Air" Matthew Hayden Recounts Chaotic Wild Storm At Eden Gardens

Akshita Patel

Hayden On Chaotic Wild Storm At Eden Gardens [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]Hayden On Chaotic Wild Storm At Eden Gardens [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]

The IPL 2025 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens turned into a scene of complete chaos after a sudden and powerful thunderstorm hit Kolkata on Saturday. Matthew Hayden reported that the wind was strong enough to toss the groundsmen in the air.

The second inning had just started, with KKR at 7/0 after one over, chasing a target of 202 runs set by PBKS in the second inning, when heavy winds and rain forced the players off the field. Soon, things got worse.

The winds were so strong that the ground staff struggled to keep the covers on the field. And former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, who was at the ground for JioHotstar, described the situation as “absolute chaos.”

Matthew Hayden Recalls Wild Scenes At Eden Gardens

Matthew Hayden said the ground staff were actually sitting on the covers to stop them from flying away, as there were no heavy weights to hold them down. 

At one point, he witnessed 6 people sitting on a section of the covers, only for the wind to blow it off and send them flying into the air. The cover even disappeared into the crowd. 

He added that the weather started with a dust storm, followed by heavy sideways rain, which caught everyone by surprise.

“There was one portion of the covers, which had about six people standing on it, it got blown off and all those guys were launched up into the air. And then the cover disappeared into the crowd. It’s been carnage here. It started with a dust storm, which was exciting enough as it was and then we had sideways rain that completely caught the ground staff unawares," Hayden said.


"They’re all sitting on the covers because they don’t have the weights that actually weigh down the covers. There’s a win that’s whistling about at 60-70 kilometres an hour and it been a real spectacle besides the batting we have seen from the Punjab Kings batting," he added.

Eventually, due to persistent rain and windstorms, the match was called off. And since KKR didn’t face at least 5 overs, the game was abandoned with no result, thus awarding a point each to KKR and PBKS.