IPL 2025: KKR vs Eden Gardens pitch curator - Understanding controversy of the season

It’s been over three weeks since the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the season has already been rocked by controversy surrounding the Eden Gardens pitch curator and Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Kolkata Knight Riders, under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane, have had a scratchy start to their IPL 2025 campaign, winning two matches in their five outings. KKR are the defending champions of the season after winning their third IPL title last year, with Shreyas Iyer at the helm as a captain. KKR are struggling to live up to the billing of the defending champions, thanks to change in their captaincy after Shreyas moved to Punjab Kings. 

Kolkata Knight Riders’ shaky start to the season is one of the talking points in the IPL 2025. However, the controversy that has grabbed headlines is the tension between the team management, especially skipper Rahane, and Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee over the preparation of the pitch for the home team.

The controversy began after Kolkata Knight Rider skipper Ajinkya Rahane lamented over the Eden Gardens’ pitch’s lack of assistance to spin bowlers after the defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 opener. He wanted the pitch to be more spin friendly rather than aiding pace and bounce. 

“We would love to see the pitch helping the spin bowlers but again, this wicket was under covers for the last one-and-a-half days.” Rahane said after the match on March 22.

Ajinkya Rahane’s request for spin friendly pitch at Eden Gardens for the ongoing IPL season was denied by the pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee, stating that there are no possibilities of changing the nature of the surface, given that the IPL rule mentioned that franchises do not have any say on the pitch. 

“As long as I’m here, Eden Gardens pitch will not change,” Mukherjee told RevzSports. 

“As per the IPL rules and regulations, franchises have no say over the pitch. Ever since I have taken charge, 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.” he added.

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Following his denial to Ajinkya Rahane’s request for a spin-friendly surface, Eden Gardens pitch curator received flak comments. Former Bengal cricketer Shreevats Goswami revealed on X that the state players would not be allowed to train at the Eden Gardens Stadium, claiming that the grass would be spoiled had the players run around. 

“Nothing new with the Eden garden curator not listening to the home captain. Having played for Bengal over a decade, have been witness to this from close quarters. As a home team we would ask for a certain pitch to take the home advantage but would seldom get it.” Goswami wrote on X. 

"In fact the curator wouldn’t even let us train in the Eden Gardens, run rounds cause apparently the grass would be spoiled. On the other hand I would see my counterpart Karnataka players running around in Chinnaswamy Stadium !” he added.

Eden Gardens pitch curator broke his silence over criticism for denying Ajinkya Rahane’s request for spin-friendly pitch. He cited the BCCI’s rules on pitch preparation, stating that franchises and players have no opinion and suggestion on that matter. 

“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," Sujan told RevSportz.

"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 added.

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After a four-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane gave a strong reply to the pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee for denying his request for spin-friendly pitch, stating that he received a lot of publicity. The 34-year-old added that he would convey his concerns around the pitch to the IPL committee. 

“Our curator has got a lot of publicity. I think he's happy with that publicity. You can write whatever you feel like about the home advantage.” Rahane said. 

“If I have any concern, I would probably convey it to the IPL rather than speaking about it here." he added.

Though it has been days since the controversy around the pitch issue began, there has been no official statement from Kolkata Knight Riders’ franchise regarding the matter. However, it was reported that a top KKR official mockingly congratulated a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) official over the condition of the pitch. As per the report by Sangbad Pratidin, a KKR official sarcastically told a CAB committee member, “You won the match, didn’t you? That’s why I’m congratulating you!”

The growing tension between Kolkata Knight Riders and Eden Gardens pitch curator, Sujan Mukherjee, seemed to have reached a boiling point, with both sides standing firm on their stance. It remains to be seen whether the Indian Premier League (IPL) committee step in and douse the tension between the franchise and the ground staff.