KKR pitch controversy boils over at Eden Gardens, CAB pushes back
The ongoing murmurs about the Eden Gardens pitch this IPL season have escalated into a full-blown controversy. Reports suggest that the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) wrote to the BCCI, requesting the exclusion of Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull from the commentary panel for KKR’s remaining home matches at the Eden Gardens.
The move is believed to have been triggered by the duo’s sharp criticism of Eden’s pitch curator, Sujan Mukherjee, following KKR's loss to Lucknow Super Giants earlier this month. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane also appeared to take a subtle dig at the curator after the match.
During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Bhogle had criticised Mukherjee for not allowing KKR to have any home advantage, which he claimed should be legitimate in a tournament like IPL. He explained that the curator should have prepared a pitch that would have allowed the KKR bowlers to win matches at home.
Former New Zealand cricketer Doull suggested that with KKR paying the stadium fees, the curator needed to pay heed to what the home team wanted. Otherwise, he said, KKR should just find a new home ground.
The CAB reportedly didn’t take these comments lightly. Since the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where KKR's spinners struggled, the association has backed Mukherjee, and maintained that pitch curation must follow IPL regulations, ensuring neutrality. Both Mukherjee and the CAB have insisted that franchises cannot dictate pitch conditions and that the Eden surface has been fair and in line with IPL standards.
Bhogle and Doull were therefore unexpectedly missing from commentary during KKR’s home loss to Gujarat Titans, sparking rumours of the BCCI removing them from Kolkata's Eden Gardens fixtures due to the CAB's letter. Bhogle later clarified on Tuesday that his absence was due to a pre-decided IPL commentary schedule, and it not any sudden decision or controversy.
Meanwhile, Sujan Mukherjee, in conversation with THE WEEK, said that he wasn’t aware about the entire fiasco between the CAB and the two commentators. He reiterated that his job was to prepare pitches according the standard rules and regulations.
"I make sporting wickets where everyone gets assistance," he told THE WEEK.
"Otherwise, I am not entitled to speak anything or respond to something that has been said about the pitch by someone from the outside. Also, I cannot be biased in favour of any team."
On being asked about his reaction to all the claims that KKR spinners were not getting any assistance, and thus the purple and gold brigade losing the home advantage, he gave an example of Monday’s match between KKR and Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens. Even though the visitors posted 198 and lost just 3 wickets, KKR was restricted to 159/8, and that too in the second innings, when dew generally made it difficult for the bowling team. Gujarat’s spinners took four wickets and two of them even bowled at an economy of 6, Mukherjee noted.
To further reject the claims that spinners were not getting enough assistance at the Eden Gardens, he also pointed towards the first match of the season where RCB spinners took four wickets among themselves, while KKR's Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine struggled.
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