Ajinkya Rahane reiterates his claim over the Kolkata pitch. “At home, you should get what you want”

At the coin toss before the game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked about the pitch. This is a usual occurrence. However, Rahane was startled by the question and paused for a second.

Row between KKR and the Eden curator

Kolkata Knight Riders management expressed dissatisfaction with Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee for declining to prepare a pitch favoring their spinners during the season opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore last month.

Mukherjee faced criticism, with experts suggesting KKR consider relocating. However, the curator emphasized adherence to BCCI guidelines, stating that IPL teams and players should not influence pitch preparations.

Mukherjee’s statement

“As per the BCCI guidelines, it is clearly mentioned that the pitch and ground preparation for all IPL regular season matches is the responsibility of the chief curator of the host association under the guidance from the BCCI-appointed venue curator, and they will be the sole decision-maker regarding the nomination of practice and match pitches, as is the case for first-class matches in India. It is also instructed that the franchises and players shall not have any say in the preparation of the wicket. The BCCI chief curator is available to give any advice that is required and will also be able to intervene if any issues arise,” he told RevSportz earlier this week.

“Everyone is welcome to me. Even the association is always willing to help. There has always been a good rapport between the state association (CAB) and the franchise. The KKR management also has a fair idea about the wicket and conditions on offer at Eden over the last few seasons since I took charge. Once the team returns from Mumbai, surely, we can have a discussion and I will see what best I can do,” he said.

Rahane happy with the pitch

When asked about the pitch, Rahane expressed his satisfaction. “Looks good, I’m really happy with the pitch, we were also bowling first. It will suit our spinners, at home, you should get what you want, but we’ll need to assess the situation quickly with the bat,” he said after KKR were put to bat first at home.

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