'Eden curator refuses KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane's request, says pitch will remain unchanged for IPL match'

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane wanted a spin-friendly pitch after his team’s heavy loss against RCB in their IPL 2025 opening match. However, Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee refused to make any changes, standing firm on his decision.

“As long as I’m here, the Eden Gardens pitch will not change,” Mukherjee said, shutting down Rahane’s request. Mukherjee, who has been in charge of the Eden Gardens pitch since 2015 when he was appointed by then CAB president Sourav Ganguly, made it clear that IPL teams have no control over pitch conditions. “According to IPL rules, franchises cannot decide how the pitch should be. The conditions have always been like this, and they will remain the same,” he stated.

Mukherjee Questions KKR Spinners’ Performance

KKR struggled in their opening game as RCB chased down 174 with ease. After the match, Rahane pointed out that KKR’s strength lies in their spinners, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, and that a spin-friendly pitch would have helped them.

“Both our spinners have the quality to bowl on any surface, and they are confident,” Rahane said. But Mukherjee didn’t agree. He argued that the pitch already offered enough help for spinners and questioned KKR’s bowling performance. “RCB’s spinners took four wickets. What did KKR’s spinners do?” Mukherjee asked. “Krunal Pandya got three wickets, and Suyash Sharma managed to turn the ball past Andre Russell.”

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Tough Start for KKR in IPL 2025

It has been a difficult start to IPL 2025 for the defending champions, who not only suffered a big defeat but are also now at odds with their home ground’s curator.Mukherjee, who has overseen pitch preparations at Eden Gardens for nearly a decade, remains firm in his approach and has no plans to change the conditions for KKR. Rahane and his team will now shift their focus to their next match against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday.