Subhayan Chakraborty at Eden Gardens
Kolkata Knight Riders captain, Ajinkya Rahane, on Tuesday triggered yet another debate around the Eden Gardens pitch after a total of 472 runs were scored in their game against Lucknow Super Giants. The visiting side led by Rishabh Pant clinched a narrow, four-run win in a thriller decided in the last over.
KKR had defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last home game with the latter scoring just 120 runs while chasing a 201-run target. That pitch had assisted spinners, and KKR’s vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer praised that particular track for providing a balance between bat and ball. However, on Tuesday, the bowlers didn’t get much assistance on a fresh pitch. Despite word going around that the pitch will have some assistance for spinners, the batters enjoyed a run fest.
“There has been enough talk about the wicket. Mai kuch bolunga toh bawaal ho jayega (if I say anything, it will cause a controversy),” Rahane told reporters in the post-match press conference. “Let me just keep it that way. Our curator (Sujan Mukherjee) has got a lot of publicity. I think he’s happy with that publicity. You can write whatever you want about the home advantage. If I feel like it, I’ll tell the IPL team rather than talking here. I’ll talk to the concerned authorities.”
Mitch Marsh (81) and Aiden Markram (47) stitched a 99-run stand off 62 deliveries, followed by a scintillating knock by Nicholas Pooran (87* off 36).
Ajinkya Rahane, Press Conference:
On Sunil Narine: I thought Nicholas Pooran was playing well and that’s why we went to Russell. He is completely fit to bowl and fine. pic.twitter.com/K67l9ulWwr
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) April 8, 2025
On the pitch and LSG’s tactics, Rahane said: “Firstly, there was no help for the spinners. Let me clear that. They (LSG batters) used the boundary really well. Bowling to the longer boundary, they did that really well. Our bowlers tried as well. But again, Pooran and Marsh batted really well in between. They took their chances which came off really well for them. It was a lovely wicket. We all saw that. It was hard for the bowlers. But again, they used the conditions and used the boundary really well. I thought our bowlers’ plans were perfect. But they couldn’t bowl in the right areas or nail that perfect yorker or wide slower ball. And they just capitalised on those slightly loose balls or easier balls.”
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It has been a trend across many stadiums in IPL that home fans turn up to support megastars like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. When asked about home advantage and whether it exists in a tournament like IPL, the KKR captain quipped: “You spoke about Virat and MS. They have achieved so much. They have done great things for the country and franchises. So it’s very normal that people come out here and support their role models, their leaders.
“It’s completely normal. But KKR, I think support has been amazing here for us as a team. They are always behind us. They enjoy cricket. The atmosphere, their energy, the passion which all the fans have. It’s amazing. So when guys like Virat and MS come here, it’s very normal that people will support them. And people want them to see more on the ground than off the field. Whatever you want to write about wicket, you can write it down.”
KKR bowled poorly. All the bowlers, except Varun Chakaravarthy, were all over the place. The selection of Spencer Johnson over Moeen Ali raised few eyebrows, as the Aussie ended up leaking 46 runs in three overs. Though Harshit Rana bagged two wickets, he conceded 51 off his four overs with his back of the length deliveries were smashed all over the park. Sunil Narine, KKR’s talisman with the ball, looked flat and conceded 38 off three overs. It was a rare instance that Narine didn’t complete his full quota. Vaibhav Arora bowled well in his first two overs with the new ball but leaked 16 runs when he was given the 13th over. KKR erred in their lines and lengths consistently and that cost them a few extra runs which ended up being the difference in what was an absolute humdinger.
When asked why Narine didn’t bowl his full four overs, Rahane said: “Not an injury thing. I thought, Pooran was playing well against him and we thought playing spinners was easy. One boundary was shorter. That’s the reason I wanted to bowl Andre Russell. He got one wicket in that previous over so I thought I could go with him. The other bowlers were struggling so I had to keep other options ready in the last 2-3 overs. That was the only reason. He is completely fit to bowl and he is fine.”
Not only with the ball but KKR have had issues in the batting department as well. While Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh have been among the runs, KKR batters haven’t been able to stitch runs successfully, be it Quinton de Kock, Narine or Russell.
On Russell’s bating form, Rahane said, “Not really (concern). Russell, we all know, is a dangerous player. Chasing, 230 plus, will have to go really hard. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s all about having that intent. We all know that Russell is a quality player. We are not at all concerned or worried about his form.”
Also Read: Pooran Power Prevails Again as LSG Edge KKR in Run-Fest