Following Kolkata Knight Riders’ heart-wrenching 4-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens, questions about the so-called ‘home advantage’ in the IPL resurfaced. With this being KKR’s second defeat on their home turf, Ajinkya Rahane was asked directly what “home advantage” really means in such a context.
“There has been enough talk about the wicket. Mai kuch bolunga toh bawaal ho jayega (if I say anything, it will cause a controversy),” Rahane replied during the post-match press conference, choosing his words carefully.
Without going into specifics about the pitch, he alluded to the growing noise surrounding the issue and offered a subtle jab at the attention the Eden Gardens pitch curator has received in recent days. “Let me just keep it that way. Our curator (Sujan Mukherjee) has got a lot of publicity. I think he’s happy with that publicity. You (the media) can write whatever you want about the home advantage. If I feel like it, I’ll tell the IPL team rather than talking here. I’ll talk to the concerned authorities,” he said.
The discussion about the playing surface isn’t new. In their previous home game, KKR had managed to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad on what was reported to be a dry pitch that hadn’t been watered for days. Heading into the clash with LSG, curiosity once again turned toward the nature of the pitch—this time, not the same one used in the SRH match, but the adjacent strip.
As scrutiny around Eden Gardens’ wickets intensifies, Ajinkya Rahane’s pointed restraint signals that there’s more to the story than what’s being said out loud.
