Kolkata Knight Riders team management was left disappointed with the surface at Eden Gardens after they were beaten by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 opener. However, curator Sujan Mukherjee made it clear that there will not be any changes to the nature of the pitch going forward. The comments made by the curator did not go down well with former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull who advised the franchise to move out of Kolkata if the problem persists. Doull added that KKR are paying the stadium fees and as the home team, they should have a say on how the pitch will be prepared.
“If he’s not taking heed of what the home team wants… I mean they are paying the stadium fees, they are paying for what’s going on in the IPL but if he’s still not paying heed of what the home team wants, then just move the franchise away to somewhere else.
“His job is not to pass an opinion on the game. That’s not what he’s paid for,” he added.
During the discussion, veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle said that skipper Ajinkya Rahane wants a pitch that assists spinners and that should be considered by the pitch curator.
“RR, if they are playing at home, should get the tracks that they think are suited for their bowlers. So too with KKR. I saw something what the KKR curator has said. If I’m in the KKR camp, I’m extremely unhappy of what he said because I’m not asking for a 120 surface. I’m just saying, give me a surface where my bowlers can win matches. To say, ‘sorry, we don’t prepare pitches like that…’ No. We are not asking you to make a 120 pitch, we are not asking you to make a 240 pitch. But I think home advantage in a tournament like IPL is absolutely legitimate. That will enhance the tournament because winning away becomes crucial then,” Bhogle said on Cricbuzz.
