1 week Ago
The fallout from Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) narrow four-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday at Eden Gardens has taken an explosive turn, with the pitch becoming the centre of a heated controversy. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane , in a post-match press conference, refrained from directly addressing the pitch conditions or the supposed “home advantage,” stating that doing so would stir unrest. However, he didn’t hesitate to take a swipe at Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee, calling him “publicity-hungry” not once, but twice.
Rahane pointedly remarked, “Our curator loves getting publicity too!” The drama didn’t end there. Reports emerged on Wednesday of a tense exchange on the field after the match. Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin reported that a top KKR official sarcastically “congratulated” a current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) official, leaving the latter puzzled.
When pressed for clarification, the KKR official reportedly quipped, “You won the match, didn’t you? That’s why I’m congratulating you!” Adding fuel to the fire, the KKR official allegedly suggested, in a mocking tone, that the Player of the Match award should be handed to the Eden curator. The report claimed that the privy to the incident found the unfolding events deeply humiliating. A former Bengal cricketer, closely tied to India’s cricket circuit, vented his frustration on Wednesday afternoon, pointing fingers at captain Rahane and the KKR team management.
“By making these excuses, KKR is only making their path tougher,” he said. “Not once have they admitted that poor batting order selection led to the loss against Lucknow. This lets the players off the hook too easily.
There’s no one pointing fingers at their failures. The players have learned that if they lose at Eden, they can just blame the pitch and move on.” Visibly agitated, he added that KKR has little connection with Bengal cricket beyond the two-month IPL window.
“They don’t include anyone from Bengal in the team—neither players nor support staff. If they had a local in their support staff, this pitch issue could’ve been resolved smoothly.” The ex-cricketer cited Gujarat Titans as an example, noting how they faced a similar pitch-related issue last year but swiftly resolved it by bringing Parthiv Patel into their setup, avoiding further trouble.
“KKR could learn a thing or two from that,” he remarked. Ground Dimensions Under Scrutiny Beyond the pitch’s behaviour, its dimensions have also sparked debate. During Tuesday’s match, Eden Gardens reportedly had one boundary at 57 meters and another at 70 meters, a disparity that drew comments from Rahane at the toss.
However, curator Sujan Mukherjee refuted these claims on Wednesday, asserting that the shorter side was 65 meters and the longer one 72 meters, with both lengths along the square at 70 meters. Mukherjee backed his argument with data, stating that he had tracked every six hit in the game. “Barring one or two, every six cleared 75 meters,” he declared.
What Lies Ahead? KKR’s next home match is slated for April 21 against the Gujarat Titans, and all eyes are now on how the Eden pitch will be prepared. Will it offer the turn KKR desires? Some CAB officials have cautioned that creating a sharply turning track at Eden is impractical and could damage the surface, especially with the T20 World Cup scheduled for next year, featuring matches at the venue. “If the ICC gets upset over the pitch, what then?” one official asked.
However, they hinted at a compromise—reducing watering and rolling to maximize turn within reasonable limits, aiming for a middle ground. As the dust settles on this latest chapter of the Eden Gardens pitch saga, the question remains: can KKR and the CAB find common ground, or will the blame game persist? For now, the controversy shows no signs of abating..
