The Eden Gardens pitch is once again under the scanner. This time, it’s not the visiting teams complaining. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have found themselves at odds with their own home ground early in the 2025 Indian Premier League season, reigniting a debate that has simmered for years.
KKR began their title defence with a loss at home to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a game where their spinners, traditionally a core strength, found little assistance from the surface. The narrative quickly shifted when KKR bounced back in Guwahati, where a slower, more spin-friendly pitch played to their strengths against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
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“We’d love to see the pitch helping the spin bowlers,” skipper Ajinkya Rahane said after the Eden loss, diplomatically brushing off concerns. “But this one had some moisture after being under covers, so no complaints. Our spinners can adapt anywhere.”
However, not everyone has been as measured. Former Bengal wicketkeeper and IPL journeyman Shreevats Goswami has come out swinging on social media, accusing the Eden Gardens curator of routinely ignoring the needs of home teams, both in domestic and IPL cricket.
“Fact: Nothing new with the Eden garden curator not listening to the home captain. Having played for Bengal for over a decade, have been witness to this from close quarters. As a home team, we would ask for a certain pitch to take the home advantage but would seldom get it. In fact the curator wouldn’t even let us train at the Eden Gardens, or run rounds because, apparently, the grass would be spoiled. On the other hand, I would see my counterpart Karnataka players running around (the outfield) at Chinaswamy Stadium,” Goswami lashed out on social media.
In a longer post on Facebook, Goswami doubled down, calling it a “no-brainer” that home teams should have the right to request conditions that benefit them. He also reminded fans that this isn’t the first time the issue has been raised. Goswami, who debuted for Bengal in 2008 and last played domestic cricket in 2023, featured briefly for KKR in 2011 and had stints with RCB, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad during his IPL career.
Back in 2023, then-KKR captain Nitish Rana had publicly voiced his discontent too, saying: “It feels like other franchises have home advantage, except KKR.”
Eden curator Sujan Mukherjee, meanwhile, has reportedly stood firm in his belief that pitch neutrality is paramount, a stance that continues to spark friction with players and fans alike.
As KKR push forward in their campaign, the bigger question looms, can a team truly call a ground “home” if it doesn’t behave like one?
