Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has once again voiced his frustration over the pitch at Eden Gardens following his team’s narrow four-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2025. The comments have reignited the discussion around whether KKR are truly getting the home advantage they desire.
After the match, Rahane was asked about the Eden Gardens surface and replied with a pointed remark: “Main kuch bolunga toh bawal ho jayega” (If I say anything, it’ll be a big controversy). He added that the pitch has already received a lot of attention and suggested that the matter should be taken up with IPL and relevant authorities. His tone made it clear that not everything is as smooth as it seems behind the scenes.
The back-and-forth over the Eden Gardens wicket started earlier this season when Rahane and head coach Chandrakant Pandit expressed their preference for spin-friendly conditions at home. However, the pitch reportedly didn’t meet that demand in KKR’s opening fixture, leading to speculation that their requests were being overlooked.
The pitch curator has maintained that pitches are prepared as per league guidelines and not tailored to suit team preferences. The tension seems to be ongoing, with Rahane carefully choosing his words but hinting at a deeper disagreement.
At the toss the last game, Rahane seemed to be happy with the pitch laid out by the curator: “(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.”
While the pitch is under scrutiny, KKR’s own decisions during the match against LSG have come into question. Chasing a massive target of 239, KKR surprisingly held back their most explosive batters. Andre Russell came in at No.7, and Rinku Singh was sent out at No.8, even though both are known for their ability to change games in a matter of overs.
Instead, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ramandeep Singh were promoted up the order, with the left-right combination theory cited as a possible reason. However, when the required run rate was already soaring, the decision to send big hitters so late looked questionable. Rinku did score an unbeaten 38 off just 15 balls, but it came too late to affect the result.
ALSO READ:
Rahane’s comment about the pitch may highlight a genuine concern, but it’s fair to ask whether KKR’s own choices during the game played a bigger part in their loss. The call to delay the arrival of their best finishers in a steep chase arguably had a greater impact than the surface itself.
KKR will need to look inward and align both their tactics and pitch preferences if they want to make better use of their home conditions going forward.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
