Opinion is divided. While a section of fans think it is the curator Sujan Mukherjee who is the villain and the pitch is the real story behind KKR’s loss, another section feels wrong decision making cost the Knights two crucial points against LSG.
From the very first match onwards, the pitch has been at the centre of this discourse. As journalists our job is to put out both sides of the story. We have documented what Ajinkya Rahane said and also reported what Sujan Mukherjee said to us on record.
The truth is both sides have arguments going for them. And it is essential we put out all of them. Thereafter, it is on our readers to decide which side is making sense or who is right.
The KKR side
The KKR side of the story is premised on the notion of home advantage. Should teams have home advantage or not? Despite the IPL being premised on the home-and-away format, should teams just treat every game at home as a neutral one? If KKR have to chase 240 everyday, is it fair on them? While it is easy to say don’t talk about the pitch, it’s a different story if one looks at statistics. Between 2011 and 2015, when they won two titles, KKR’s win percentage at Eden was 70 percent and more. Since then, it has fallen to around 48 per cent. And still, KKR have been among the top three teams in the IPL, winning the trophy again last season. Based on those numbers, KKR are very much within their rights to say they have never made a big deal about the wicket.
Having said that, it can be argued that when Eden can produce turners for the World Cup (and I am basing my argument on statistics of which venues offered the most turn during that competition), KKR too deserve wickets of their choice i.e. slow turners. If it was possible for the World Cup, it should be possible for KKR as well. To say no doesn’t smell right.
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Also, how can a franchise build a squad when they play seven games year after year at one venue? Common sense says you understand home conditions and build your squad around that. Nothing else is feasible, and we are talking about real big monies here. The auction purse of 120 crores is not small change, and KKR have to build a squad based on the kind of conditions they expect to get at their home base.
And yet, the average score at Eden is the highest of all venues in the IPL.
Basis these arguments, if the “home” team is frustrated, it doesn’t seem unfair. More so if they are told to go play cricket rather than discuss the conditions provided.
The Other View
I am already on record for having said that I did not understand the logic behind holding Rinku Singh and Andre Russell back. Rinku at No. 8 is way too low, and it was a call that KKR need to revisit.
More so because they had the match in the bag and were cruising at one stage. Take the Rahane dismissal, for example. He had played a blinder and was in total control – 61 off 35 balls was proof of how well he was batting. And that was when it happened. A rank-poor full toss from Shardul Thakur outside off stump, one that could have been hit anywhere. Rahane, in that form, should have put it into the stands. Instead, he played a soft shot and was caught at cover. That was when the momentum shifted. For the record, Russell too got out to a full toss outside off stump.
With a full toss, the pitch is taken out of the equation. Rahane did not get out because of the pitch. He got out to a poor shot. Had he stayed in, there was no stopping KKR. Two wickets fell to full tosses, and that was what changed the game in favour of LSG, not to mention holding Rinku back a tad too late.
When you add that KKR did not bowl Venky Iyer for a single over, and got Russell on only in the 16th, you could argue that strategic mistakes cost them the match. The pitch was a mere sidekick in the drama.
While not taking a position on this, let me say that both KKR and their fans need to move away from the pitch debate. Enough has already been said, and with or without the pitch favouring them, KKR are a good enough side to make the play-offs. It is easier said than done though, and it could well be that we haven’t yet heard the last of this debate.
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