Sujan Mukherjee, the ground curator for Eden Gardens, is at the center of a controversy about the “disadvantage” of the home team. In the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakravarthy was taken to the cleaners after giving up 43 runs.
After turning down captain Ajinkya Rahane’s plea to create a spin-friendly pitch for the current IPL season, the curator came under fire from some KKR supporters. Breaking his silence, Mukherjee clarified that neither franchises nor players have a voice in the matter and that pitch curators obey BCCI’s orders.
“As per the BCCI guidelines, it is clearly mentioned that the pitch and ground preparation for all IPL regular season matches is the responsibility of the chief curator of the host association under the guidance from the BCCI-appointed venue curator, and they will be the sole decision-maker regarding the nomination of practice and match pitches, as is the case for first-class matches in India,” Sujan told RevSportz.
“It is also instructed that the franchises and players shall not have any say in the preparation of the wicket. The BCCI chief curator is available to give any advice that is required and will also be able to intervene if any issues arise,” he added.
Even though Sujan is not active on social media, he acknowledged that the criticism was hurtful. He defended his position, pointing to Andre Russell’s dismissal against RCB to highlight that the pitch did have some value for spinners. Making the surface completely spin-friendly, in his opinion, could have unintended consequences.
“Look, I do not follow social media. But when I heard what was being said about me, it felt bad. I have always tried to prepare a sporting track where there is something for everyone – batters, pacers and spinners.
“There was turn on offer in the pitch for the first match against RCB. And KKR have good pacers in their side like last season. All I am trying to say is if you watch the first match, there was some turn as well, especially the way Andre Russell got dismissed,” said the curator.
Simon Doull, a former cricket player for New Zealand, offered his opinions on the subject, recommending that the reigning champions look into leaving Eden Gardens and locating a new home field. The curator claimed that the KKR management will talk about what suits them best because they are well informed of the wicket’s behavior.
“I do not have to bother about what Harsha Bhogle or Simon Doull said. What matters to me is what the spectators and my association say about the wicket. I am accountable to the BCCI for producing a good sporting wicket.
“The KKR management also has a fair idea about the wicket and conditions on offer at Eden over the last few seasons since I took charge. Once the team returns from Mumbai, surely, we can have a discussion and I will see what best I can do,” he added further.
