The tension between Indian Premier League franchises and pitch curators has found a new focal point — the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a second consecutive defeat at home, this time against the Delhi Capitals, team mentor Dinesh Karthik openly voiced his displeasure with the pitch, indicating that it didn’t meet the expectations set by the franchise ahead of the game.
Karthik, speaking to the media following RCB’s six-wicket loss, addressed what he described as a deviation from agreed preparations. He stated that instructions were clearly given to the curator for preparing a batting-friendly surface, especially for the team’s opening two home matches. However, the reality on match day turned out to be quite the opposite.
“I think the way T20 cricket is, the more runs are there, the better it is for the broadcaster, the better it is for the fans. They all like to see boundaries,” Karthik said during the press conference. “In the first two games, we have asked for good pitches. But it’s turned out in this way where it’s been challenging to bat on, for sure.”
He didn’t shy away from pointing out that the pitch simply did not play to the strengths of the batters, making the task tougher than expected for RCB’s lineup. “Definitely, this is not a pitch that’s helping the batters too much. It’s a challenging pitch. That has been the case so far in both the games that we have played,” he added.
Dinesh Karthik also noted that discussions with the pitch curator are on the horizon, with the team looking to address the pitch behavior for upcoming home fixtures. As RCB aims to regroup and regain control over their home advantage, the focus now shifts not only to team performance but also to behind-the-scenes coordination with the ground staff to ensure the conditions align with their game plan.
