The question of the ‘home advantage’ refuses to go away in the IPL 2025 — what with the Kolkata Knight Riders’ chief coach Chandrakant Pandit expecting ‘something to be provided’ at the Eden Gardens for their upcoming matches.
The defending champions, who are facing the Mumbai Indians at their own fortress at the on Monday, 31 March, will then be playing back-to-back matches at the Eden Gardens on 3 April and 8 April.
The KKR defeat in the season opener against the , which had captain Ajinkya Rahane wishing for some more spin, will mean the pressure is back on CAB chief curator Sujan Mukherjee to ensure there is some grip and turn for & Co. at Eden.
While unconfirmed reports say that drier wickets will be in store as the Knights’ strength lies in spin, Mukherjee maintains his responsibility is to provide a ‘good wicket’ first.
“Our job is to ensure a good wicket for a good contest,” said the veteran curator, who has been in charge of the Eden turf since 2015 — and the venue has been adjudged the best ground thrice in the IPL.
Speaking about the wickets that created a stir after the first game, Mukherjee’s stance in an interview was that the rules forbid any interference from the franchises in the preparation of the pitch — and he has to work along those same lines.
He maintained the same stance in response to a query from the National Herald: “See, I am only following the BCCI directive about producing what can be defined as an ideal wicket. In case of any shift in guidelines, the board has to take a call,” said Mukherjee, a former joint secretary of the CAB.
It’s perhaps presumptuous to pass a verdict on the nature of the wicket on the basis of one match, anyway. However, the — now in it’s 18th year — has been known to provide spin-friendly tracks in Kolkata and Chennai.
It was on this same Eden wicket that , the left arm-spinning all-rounder known for his nagging line, returned with figures of 4-0-29-3, while impact player Suyash Sharma castled with a googly that drifted in.
The recent controversy certainly brings one back to the question of whether the franchises are acting too picky about the conditions on offer.
Stephen Fleming, the long-serving coach, complained the other day that the Chepauk wicket caught him by surprise with its lack of turn.
— the mentor — let the cat out of the bag by saying the other day that they produced a red soil wicket to counter the Mumbai Indians, who are used to a black soil surface at the Wankhede.
Meanwhile, a former member of a IPL-winning KKR team feels that the entire episode could have been handled better.
“’It’s always a given that the wickets in Kolkata and Chennai will be assisting spin and, to that extent, such an expectation is not unrealistic,” said , former international cricketer and member of the IPL-winning KKR team in 2012. “However, there could have been a discussion between all the stakeholders even before the season had begun, as KKR has been camping in Kolkata for a while.”
Looking back at the contentious KKR–RCB match, Tiwary — now a TV pundit — suggests that KKR trumpcard Varun Chakaravarthy went for a good few runs as he was brought on too early in the rivals’ innings.
Manoj Tiwary, member of the 2012 KKR teamI would say that the KKR captain (Rahane) missed a trick by bringing on their ace Varun Chakaravarthy a little too soon. The ball was still hard and new and skidding through, and hence, Varun may have gone for few more runs than usual.The BCCI guidelines about an ideal pitch say: ‘The pitch should be prepared so that the character of the should stay the same for both innings and meet all of the following criteria: (a) good pace and ball carry, (b) consistent bounce, (c) little lateral seam movement and (d) not excessive spin.’
The rules are clearly laid down — but then, there are wheels within wheels.
The KKR’s next two matches at home are against strong batting sides: the and .
There could, then, be a spin in the tale!
