IPL 2025: CAB Urges BCCI To Ban Harsha Bhogle And Simon Doull From Commentating Matches At Eden Gardens Stadium
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has sent a strong-worded letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), requesting that renowned commentators Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull be banned from commentating at the Eden Gardens stadium for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season. This move comes after Bhogle and Doull publicly criticized the pitch conditions at Eden Gardens and curator Sujan Mukherjee's role in preparing them.
The controversy began when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane expressed dissatisfaction with the Eden Gardens pitch, which didn't favor KKR's spin bowlers like Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. Mukherjee, however, opted for a sporting wicket that favored faster bowlers, leading to high-scoring games. Bhogle and Doull sided with Rahane, with Doull suggesting that KKR should consider relocating from Kolkata if the curator didn't cooperate with their pitch preferences.
The CAB has come out in support of Mukherjee, stating that he has followed the BCCI guidelines for pitch preparation. According to these guidelines, the pitch and ground preparation fall under the host association and the BCCI-appointed venue curator, not the franchises or commentators. CAB believes that Bhogle and Doull's comments were unjustified and has urged BCCI to take action against them.
The BCCI hasn't officially responded to CAB's letter yet. However, neither Bhogle nor Doull will be part of the commentary panel for the match between KKR and Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens on April 21. With Eden Gardens set to host the Qualifier 2 on May 23 and the IPL final on May 25, it remains to be seen whether Bhogle and Doull will return to the commentary panel for future matches.
IPL 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders are taking on Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are out to revive their IPL 2025 campaign as they face table-toppers Gujarat Titans in a home game in their next match. With the Knight Riders' campaign hanging by a thread after a stunning loss to the Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, they will hope for their fortunes to turn at the Eden Gardens on Monday.
The Knight Riders had come to Mullanpur with quite a lot of encouragement as they had conquered the Chepauk by beating the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) convincingly. The defending champions were also ahead 80% of the game against the Punjab Kings only to implode and be bowled out for 95 while chasing a mere 112 for victory. Languishing at the seventh position in the points table, the Knight Riders need a quick fix.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Titans nailed the run-chase against the Delhi Capitals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with Jos Buttler's unbeaten 97 taking them past the score of 204 with four balls to spare. Mohammed Siraj and their spinners are likely to enjoy the conditions at the Eden Gardens.
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