Courtesy: IPL/BCCI
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) expressed their disappointment with Eden Garden’s pitch following their seven-wicket hammering at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening contest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Defending 174 runs, Kolkata bowlers got bashed all over the ground by batters and capitulated in front of RCB with 22 balls to spare in the game. Except for Sunil Narine, no bowler could stop the flow of runs. After the game, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane said his side wants the surface to assist spinners, but also added the wicket was under covers for the one-and-a-half days before the game.
Reacting to Rahane’s statement, Eden Garden's pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee cited RCB spinners’ bowling brilliance to defend the pitch. He also added that he won’t allow the franchise to alter the nature of the surface as long as he is the in-charge. Mukherjee’s remark raised the eyebrows of former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull, who has advised KKR to move out of Kolkata if the curator refuses to pay heed to their demand.
"If he's not taking heed of what the home team wants... I mean they are paying the stadium fees, they are paying for what's going on in the IPL but if he's still not paying heed of what the home team wants, then just move the franchise away to somewhere else. His job is not to pass an opinion on the game. That's not what he's paid for," said Doull on CricBuzz.
KKR bounced back against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati
KKR justified the tag of defending champions with their performance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Barsapara Stadium on March 26. Rahane and his men outclassed the Pink Army in all departments of the game to taste eight-wicket success. In the absence of their premier all-rounder Sunil Narine, KKR inducted Moeen Ali in the playing XI and the veteran did the job exceptionally as a spinner.
The 37-year-old picked up 2/23 figures in his four-over spell and also assisted his junior colleague Varun Chakravarthy, who clinched 2/17 in his four overs. Chasing 152 runs, Kolkata also witnessed the batting brilliance of their opener Quinton de Kock, who smashed an unbeaten 97 off 61 to take his side home convincingly. The Protea also got the player of the match (POTM) award for his stunning knock. Kolkata will next play against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on March 31.
