Much has already been written on the Eden Gardens pitch issue. But in all that is being said, a lot of impractical suggestions are also being peddled. And that’s where the focus is getting lost. Let me make things clear – there is nothing unfair about asking for home advantage. At the heart of the IPL is the home-and-away concept and home advantage is something that is expected and assumed. KKR are well within their rights to ask for it and suggest the same. And like I had written yesterday, all that is needed at the moment is a conversation between Ajinkya Rahane and the curator where things get resolved.
But to suggest that KKR should move out of Eden Gardens because of this issue shows a complete lack of understanding of the reality. Some have suggested that KKR should think of moving to Jharkhand or Odisha. Really? There is one Eden Gardens, and it is unique. As many as 70,000 people making heroes out of players can only happen at the Eden Gardens and for brand KKR, the venue is indispensable. It is the home of KKR, and they should never move away from it.
Brands are built over decades and KKR is now a unicorn. Eden Gardens and the Kolkata fans have played a serious part in it. They are the ones who have made heroes of Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine, and filled the stadium in 40 degrees heat. KKR are different from RCB or CSK. KKR don’t have a star. No Virat Kohli, no MS Dhoni and no Rohit Sharma. And yet, they are one of the most-followed teams. It is because Kolkata has adopted KKR. The city identity has taken off and Eden loves its knights. For Shah Rukh Khan and his team, this identity is now key to the KKR brand.
There is no way KKR should ever contemplate moving out of Eden Gardens. To suggest such a thing is plain outrageous. There is one simple solution to the whole issue – resolve it amicably. Nothing else is relevant, and the more experts start saying that KKR should contemplate moving out, the more ego will take over. And when that happens, the real issue will get lost. For the sake of argument, even if they had to move away, it would take time. And there is no time on hand. The next home game is on April 3, and the one against Lucknow on April 6. We need a solution to the impasse before that, and it can only happen based on dialogue. All the frayed tempers need to calm down and people need to just sit across the table and sort things out.
To say what I did yesterday – no one is asking Sujan Mukherjee to dig up the wicket. No one is asking him to do anything at gun point. But for the city and its fans, it is important the home team has an advantage. And as the curator who is responsible for the wicket, it is his domain to provide it.
I am confident things will get resolved. Rahane isn’t one driven by ego. Venky Mysore knows what to do, and has done it for 15 years. Eden is home and will stay home for KKR. All talk about moving away is plain garbage.
Also Read: Simple Bengali adda between Rahane and Sujan Mukherjee best solution for Eden pitch issue