New Delhi: Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, steered clear of commenting on the contentious pitch at Eden Gardens following his team’s narrow 4-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in an IPL 2025 match on Tuesday. The defeat marked KKR’s second in the tournament, and the pitch used for the match quickly became the subject of much discussion.
When asked about the concept of ‘home advantage’ in the IPL, Rahane chose to remain cautious. “There has been enough talk about the wicket. If I say anything, it will cause a controversy,” Rahane said during 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. You [the media] can write whatever you want about home advantage. If I feel like it, I’ll talk to the IPL team rather than discussing it here. I’ll speak to the concerned authorities.”
The match in question followed KKR’s previous victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on a dry pitch, which had reportedly not been watered for days. Ahead of the clash with LSG, the pitch was watered and appeared to have more grass, raising expectations of a spinning track. However, what was expected to be a turner turned out to be a high-scoring belter.
The game saw a total of 472 runs scored across 40 overs, with LSG posting 238/3 and KKR replying with 234/7. Rahane emphasized that the pitch did not offer any assistance to spinners. “Firstly, there was no help for the spinners, let me clear that,” he said. His decision to bowl first did not go as planned, as LSG’s batters expertly used the boundaries, particularly the shorter side of the ground.
“They used the boundary really well, bowling to the longer side, and did that really well,” Rahane explained. “Our bowlers tried, but (Nicholas) Pooran and Mitchell Marsh batted really well in the middle overs. They took their chances, which came off really well for them. It was a lovely wicket; we all saw that, scoring almost 500 runs on this track was tough for the bowlers. But again, LSG used the conditions and boundaries better than us.”
KKR’s spinners, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, struggled to make an impact. Both went wicketless and conceded runs at an expensive rate, with Narine not completing his full quota of four overs. In contrast, LSG’s bowlers, including Digvesh Singh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi, took key wickets and maintained their composure in the death overs, with Rathi and Bishnoi bowling the 18th and 20th overs respectively.
LSG’s Aiden Markram, who played a quick-fire knock of 47 to set the tone for his team, praised the LSG bowlers for their resilience. “When guys are taking you on, it can be really difficult on a good wicket with quick outfields and small grounds,” Markram said. “It really tests your skills. If it’s landing on the day, any bowler can be great. But once batters put bowlers under pressure, it’s hard for them to regain control.”
On how they approached KKR’s spinners, particularly Narine and Chakravarthy, Markram said the plan was to back their strengths. “You have to take the game on when the wicket is good. You can’t just sit there and knock it around. You have to back your strengths, especially in T20 cricket,” he said. “At times, it works out, and at times, the bowler gets the best of you.”
With KKR’s loss at home, Rahane’s focus remains on keeping a positive outlook as the team prepares for their upcoming matches.
