Harsha Bhogle issues clarification on absence in KKR vs GT game amid CAB's ban demand row

Commentator Harsha Bhogle has clarified the reason for his absence in Kolkata for the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT). While reports stated that Bhogle and former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull had been axed from the commentary team after the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) reportedly called for banning them from covering matches in Kolkata, the former said that he wasn't there simply because he wasn't part of the roster for that match.

"There are some inappropriate conclusions being drawn about why I wasn't at yesterday's game in Kolkata. Quite simply, it wasn't on the list of matches I was down to do! Asking me would have resolved the issue. Rosters are done before the tournament starts. I was rostered for two games in Kolkata. I was there for the first and an illness in the family prevented me from being at the 2nd," said Bhogle in a post on X.

It was earlier reported that the CAB had fired a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seeking a ban on Bhogle and Doull after their comments criticising the curators at the Eden Gardens for not preparing a pitch suitable for KKR. “Bhogle and Doull are no longer part of the IPL commentary team for KKR’s home matches. However, the situation might change when Eden hosts the Qualifier 2 and the Final on May 23 and 25,” a CAB official told PTI.

Doull had said that KKR should move the franchise away from the Eden Gardens if the pitches being prepared are not to their satisfaction. “If he (the curator) is not taking heed of what the home team wants... they are paying the stadium fees, they are paying for what’s going on in the IPL. If he’s still not listening, then just move the franchise away. His job is not to pass an opinion on the game. That’s not what he’s paid for,” Doull had said on Cricbuzz.