During an IPL several moons ago, a franchise, in conjunction with the ground staff of the respective centre, was trying to ascertain the ‘home advantage’. Sanjay Jagdale, who was the BCCI secretary then, would take the story forward.
“I don’t want to name the venue, but I was told by Daljit Singh (then BCCI’s chief curator) that our (BCCI) curators weren’t given control of the wicket,” Jagdale said, speaking to RevSportz. “But I spoke to the owner of that franchise and told him ‘this can’t happen’. I called Daljit paaji and spoke to the owner in front of him. And that was that.”
Cut to Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee’s comment to RevSportz, on the heels of Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane’s plea for more turn on the surfaces. “As per the IPL rules and regulations, franchises have no say over the pitch,” Mukherjee had said.
The BCCI recommendations for “pitch & ground preparation – 2025” confirm that. “The franchise and players shall not have any say in the preparation of the wicket,” the guidelines state. “The BCCI chief curator is available to give any advice that is required and will also be able to intervene if any issues arise.”
Then again, there’s a school of thought that the IPL, being played on a home-and-away basis, ‘home advantage’ shouldn’t be done away with. Which side Jagdale is on?
“I’m not completely against having a home advantage, but there’s a limit to it,” he observed. “If you aren’t preparing good wickets, then who suffers? The fans, who are the game’s biggest stakeholders. I’m not interested in the franchises’ interest. I’m interested in the fans’ interest. Fans run the show. Franchises are doing business. They are promoting particular brands only. And they are getting returns out of it.”
Modern-day fans, though, are armed with social media that gives poison a platform. Mukherjee faced deplorable abuse on social media for sticking to his rightful stand, in accordance with the BCCI rules and regulations. Jagdale just brushed it aside.
“You know and I know who runs the show there (social media),” he said. “Come on, not every common man is going to give his/her views on social media. You can have your own army of (people) for posting (stuff) on social media. Sujan is only answerable to the BCCI.”
Jagdale rewound to a Test at Eden, when then venue curator Prabir Mukherjee refused to prepare the pitch in a particular way. “It was the India versus England Test in 2011-12,” the ex-BCCI secretary under whom the whole pitch preparation system was overhauled, recollected. “Prabir da said ‘I would prepare the pitch the way I want to’. He was entitled to ask for a free hand.”
In his conversations with RevSportz, Sujan though made it clear that he would be open to listening to the KKR management’s point of view. The defending champions would be playing their next home match on April 3, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. There could yet be a twist in the pitch tale.