‘Wouldn’t let us train in Eden Gardens’ – Former IPL cricketer’s tweet adds new fuel to KKR pitch fiasco

Defending Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Kolkata Knight Riders are in the middle of a controversy that has erupted in the last few days. Revsportz had reported few days ago that pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee had hit out at Ajinkya Rahane for his comments over the pitch after the first game against RCB last Saturday. Mukherjee had stated during his chat with Revsportz that the pitch wont change till he is the curator. 

Read the tweet here 

Fact : 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.Infact the…

— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) March 27, 2025

Former Under-19 India cricketer Sreevats Goswami joined in the fray and took to his social media handle and gave his views. Goswami wrote, “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.”

The former wicketkeeper and batter also wrote, "In fact, the curator wouldn’t even let us train in the Eden Gardens or run rounds cause apparently the 'grass would spoilt.' On the other hand I would see my counterpart Karnataka players running around in Chinnaswamy Stadium.”

Former Kiwi pacer wants KKR to move out of Eden Gardens

Simon Doull, the former New Zealand pacer turned commentator, isn’t happy with the controversy surrounding KKR and the pitch curator. Doull has suggested that KKR look for another venue if their demands aren’t being met. 

The former Kiwi pacer was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying, “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.”

Harsha Bhogle, during his chat on CRICBUZZ, said, “I can understand if the KKR captain says, Take all the grass out, rough it up, make it unplayable. No, he's not asking for that. He's just saying give me a track which is spinner friendly. Chennai is going to be a 160 pitch. As soon as the MI vs CSK match was over, Ashwin and Vijay Shankar the local boys were close to the surface, talking to the curator. There is nothing illegitimate about that; you must have a home advantage, and that is very good to have."