'Kolkata curator has gotten a lot of publicity, I'll speak to IPL authorities if...': Ajinkya Rahane on home advantage
IPL 2025, KKR vs LSG: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane took aim at Eden Gardens' curator Sujan Mukherjee after the side lost to LSG.
The home advantage talk in the IPL 2025 edition will not die anytime soon. After Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) loss by four runs against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday, skipper Ajinkya Rahane took aim at the local curator Sujan Mukherjee. Addressing the post-match press conference, Rahane was asked whether the defending champions have enough home advantage, and the captain gave a pointed response.
The entire matter started after KKR's loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the tournament opener. Rahane had expressed his desire to see the pitch at Eden Gardens and assist spinners. However, Sujan Mukherjee said he is not obligated to alter the pitch condition as per the hosts and will only do what the BCCI says.
However, backlash on social media led to Sujan Mukherjee changing his tunes, saying he is open to making a spinning track for KKR in Kolkata. However, in the fixture against LSG, there wasn't much on offer for the spinners.
When Rahane was asked about the lack of home advantage, he replied, "There has been enough talk about the wicket. You guys have spoken about it a lot. If I say something now, then the furore will erupt. Our curator has gotten a lot of publicity. I think he is happy with that publicity."
"You can write anything you want to about the home advantage. If I have to say anything about the home advantage, I'll probably speak to the governing council or the concerned authorities than to speak here," he added.
When Rahane was asked about how he sees the performance of the spinners today, the KKR skipper didn't mince his words, saying, “Firstly there was no help for the spinners. Let me clear that.”
Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have done a lot
During the press conference, Rahane was also asked about how he feels about the Kolkata crowd not supporting KKR enough when Chennai Super Kings or RCB come to town. Rahane said it is important to understand what Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have done for the country. Hence, it is no surprise that the fans want to support the duo whenever they come to play in Kolkata.
"You spoke about Virat and MS. They have done so much for the country. So it is normal for people to come out here and support them. It is totally normal. KKR support has been amazing," said Rahane.
"They are always behind us. The atmosphere and energy have been amazing. When Virat or MS come here, it is normal for people to support them," he added.
Speaking of KKR, the defending champions faced their third loss of the IPL 2025 season after losing to Lucknow Super Giants by four runs. Despite the heroic efforts of Rahane and Rinku Singh, KKR failed to chase down 239.
