"Won't be able to fulfil KKR's demands"- Eden Gardens Pitch Curator blocks Ajinkya Rahane
Published - 30 Mar 2025, 10:38 AM | Updated - 30 Mar 2025, 10:46 AM
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The pitch at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata came under the scanner after just a single game in IPL 2025. The first game between KKR and RCB witnessed a flat pitch that remained true to the batters and hardly provided any assistance to the spinners.
This led KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane to publicly demand a spin-friendly wicket for the upcoming home matches. However, Sujan Mukherjee turned down Rahane's demands for a spin-friendly surface, claiming that the pitch won't change and franchises have no say over the nature of the pitch.
Mukherjee was criticised for his comments by the fans and some the cricket experts. Former NZ cricketer Simon Doull even suggested that the team move out and play home games at any other ground.
Eden pitch curator on KKR's home advantage
Sujan Mukherjee has decided to break the silence on this matter and has defended the pitch used during the KKR vs RCB match. However, he refused to fulfill all the demands of the franchise, but assured that he would help as much as he could.
"You've seen that the ball turned a lot (talking about Suyash Sharma's ball). Let me see what more help they want, and they can come and talk to me. I won't be able to fulfill all their demands because I am also accountable to the BCCI. I will try to help as much as I can," Mukherjee said to RevSportz.
Sujan Mukherjee further claimed that all the people working at the Eden Gardens, including himself, are Knight Riders fans and even celebrate the team's success with great enthusiasm.
"Not only me, from top to bottom, even the groundsmen, they are all KKR supporters. If the team loses, everybody is sad. Groundsmen started dancing (after KKR's title win last year)," he added.
BREAKING
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) March 30, 2025
Home advantage is natural in the @IPL or not? How should curators react to home team demands?
Sujan Mukherjee who has been in the eye of the storm takes all straight questions.
Answers everything @debasissen @RevSportzGlobal asks. Full interview 12 noon. @shamik100 pic.twitter.com/6KNlTw9U4j
Ajinkya Rahane and Sujan Mukherjee at loggerheads
During the post-match interview after KKR's defeat to RCB recently, the home team's captain, Ajinkya Rahane, asked for more spin-friendly pitches given the team's strength in this department.
“We would love to see the pitch helping the spin bowlers, but again, this wicket was under covers for the last one-and-a-half days. Both the spinners we have, the quality they have, they can bowl in any kind of wicket, and I am sure they are confident as well," Rahane had said.
However, Sujan Mukherjee gave a blunt statement after Rahane's comments and denied changing the nature of the pitch. He straight away denied the role of franchises in preparing a pitch and won't allow it to change as long as he is there.
“As long as I’m here, the Eden Gardens pitch will not change. As per the IPL rules and regulations, franchises have no say over the pitch. Ever since I have taken charge, the pitches here have been like this. It was like this in the past. Things haven’t changed now, and it will not be altered in the future," he said
Mukherjee has been in the role of Eden Gardens' head pitch curator since 2015. He was given the role by then-CAB president Sourav Ganguly in October 2015. However, he has often been criticised for the pitches at the ground.
KKR spinners' performance against RCB
KKR have two of the best spinners in the IPL in the form of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine. While both of them have been successful on a variety of pitches, the franchise would often want more turning pitches in order to suit their requirements more.
Both of them are mystery spinners and have lots of variety in their repertoire. While Narine returned with respectable figures of 1-27 in the first game, Chakravarthy finished with expensive figures of 1-43 in four overs.
