First is the problem with the floodlights. Then the rain came down. The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings (PBKS vs KKR) match in Mohali was repeatedly interrupted due to various reasons. The match was stopped for about half an hour due to the floodlights being turned off. Then when the rain came down, there were still four overs left to bat. 146 runs for Kolkata after losing 7 wickets in 16 overs. 46 runs are needed off 24 balls. Punjab was ahead in the DLS system. Kolkata lost by 7 runs in the DLS method. The debut of Nitish Rana's captaincy with loss. 

Nature stood in the way of Kolkata's victory in the first match. Kolkata had to leave the field after losing the match by 7 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis rule as the game was stopped midway due to rain.

Kolkata Knight Riders were the last IPL champions in 2014. Hence, KKR did not win the trophy in the next 8 seasons. The streak of failure is longer for Punjab Kings. They reached the IPL final only once. Notably, Kolkata won the IPL championship last time by defeating Punjab. In other words, even after reaching the final in 2014, Punjab has to be satisfied with being the runners-up. Both teams started the new season with new enthusiasm by fighting against each other. Punjab changed its leader dramatically before IPL 2023. They handed over the leadership baton to Shikhar Dhawan. Kolkata has also been forced to change its captain this year. Shreyas Iyer could not join the squad due to an injury. Instead, KKR will fight with Nitish Rana up front. Both captains wanted to start the campaign with a win. However, at the end of the match, Shikhar Dhawan left the field with a smile on his face.