Just a few games into IPL 2025 and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made the news, not because of their start to their campaign but for off-field reasons. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side was totally outplayed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the very first match of IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens after which the KKR captain subtly requested for the track to assist more spin bowling. However, it was met with a vehement no from Sujan Mukherjee, the pitch curator at the Eden Gardens who disagreed to change the nature of the track to meet the requirements of KKR. Kolkata Knight Riders managed to bounce back from that defeat to RCB as they outclassed Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets in Guwahati on Wednesday, March 26.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천KKR Full IPL 2025 Schedule, Free PDF Download Online: Kolkata Knight Riders Matches in Indian Premier League Season 18 and Venue Details.

The defending champions had a forgettable start to their IPL 2025 campaign where they were restricted to 174/8 despite a quickfire start provided by Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane. While defending 175 on a track where the bat was coming onto the ball, RCB stylishly crossed the finish line while tackling KKR's spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy brilliantly. Sunil Narine conceded just 27 runs while picking up one wicket while Varun Chakaravarthy was at the receiving end of some big shots, conceding 43 runs in his four overs while picking up Phil Salt's wicket. IPL 2025: Quinton de Kock슬롯사이트™s Unbeaten Fifty Guides Kolkata Knight Riders to Victory Over Rajasthan Royals by Eight Wickets.

KKR vs Eden Gardens Pitch Curator Controversy

After the loss to RCB, Ajinkya Rahane had said, "We would love to see the pitch helping the spin bowlers but again, this wicket was under cover 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.슬롯사이트 While Sujan Mukherjee not only denied Ajinkya Rahane's request, the Eden Gardens pitch curator also cited 'rules', stating that franchises do not have any control on how the pitch would be and drew a comparison between KKR and RCB's spinners, the latter picking up four wickets.

"As per the IPL rules and regulations, franchises have no say over the pitch. Ever since I have taken charge (as Eden curator), 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. Their (RCB) spinners took four wickets between them. What did the KKR spinners do? Krunal Pandya got three wickets. Suyash Sharma turned the ball to castle Andre Russell," said Sujan Mukherjee who took charge as Eden Gardens pitch curator in 2015, said, as quoted by RevSportz. Andre Russell Wicket Video: Watch Suyash Sharma Dismiss Dangerous Batter With Googly During KKR vs RCB IPL 2025 Opener (Watch Video).

Sujan Mukherjee's decision to decline KKR's request to make the Eden Gardens pitch more spin-friendly did not go down well with the fans and also cricket experts. Simon Doull, while speaking on CricBuzz, was critical of the comments made by Sujan Mukherjee and advised KKR to move their base to some other venue. The former New Zealand star stated that the pitch curator's job was not to 'pass opinion on a game'. Harsha Bhogle, on the same show also echoed Simon Doull and KKR must be 'extremely unhappy' with these comments, stressing that home advantage in a competition like the IPL will only enhance it. This is, however, not the first time such a controversy has taken place. In 2023, KKR's stand-in captain Nitish Rana had stated that every team in the IPL had a 'home advantage' barring KKR.

Simon Doull, Harsha Bhogle Unhappy With Sujan Mukherjee's Comments

KKR's second home match in IPL 2025 will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 3. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata will also host the IPL 2025 final which is slated to take place on May 25.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2025 06:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).