Ajinkya Rahane expressed satisfaction with the Eden Gardens pitch after KKR’s convincing win over SRH in IPL 2025.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane appeared pleased with the Eden Gardens surface used for their second home match of IPL 2025, where KKR registered a convincing 80-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. In a repeat of last season’s final, KKR successfully defended a total of 200, bundling out SRH for just 120.
After beginning their campaign with a seven-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home, Rahane had raised concerns over the nature of the pitch, expressing a desire for more spin-friendly conditions.
Speaking at the toss before the SRH clash, Rahane shared his thoughts with commentator Nick Knight. “(Pitch) Looks good. I’m really happy with the pitch, even we were looking to bowl first on this pitch. It will suit our spinners. When you are playing a home game, I always feel, you should get what you want. We are pretty much happy about it, but we have to assess the situation quickly with the bat,” he said.
Ajinkya Rahane’s comments came after he had earlier pointed out the conditions following KKR’s opening loss to RCB. “We would love to see a pitch that helps spin bowlers, but this wicket was under covers for the last one and a half days,” he had stated during the post-match press conference.
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In response to the growing debate, Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee clarified that neither the franchises nor the players have a say in pitch preparation, citing BCCI regulations. “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,” Mukherjee told RevSportz earlier.
Rahane’s call for a more spin-friendly wicket has gained support from several former cricketers and commentators. Arun Lal, Aakash Chopra, and Simon Doull all sided with Rahane in the ongoing pitch debate. Doull even suggested KKR consider a new home ground if their requests were not met, arguing that the team pays to use the venue.
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