Eden Gardens curator denies Rahane's pitch request

Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee has denied a request from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane for spin-friendly pitches. Mukherjee stated that according to IPL rules, teams do not have any influence over pitch conditions. After KKR lost their opening match of IPL 2025 to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by seven wickets, Rahane expressed the desire for pitches that support spin bowlers. He highlighted that despite the conditions, their spinners should perform well. Mukherjee defended the current pitch, saying it has not changed and that KKR's spinners failed to make an impact in the match. He pointed out that RCB's spinners excelled, taking four wickets, whereas KKR's performance was lacking. This disagreement marks a recurring issue for KKR, as a former captain, Nitish Rana, had similar complaints in 2023. He suggested that KKR often does not benefit from home advantage like other teams.