'The curator is not really thinking': LSG mentor Zaheer Khan frustrated with Lucknow pitch for snatching home advantage
Zaheer Khan was not impressed with the pitch that was dished out for LSG's match against Punjab Kings at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium.
Controversies regarding pitches in the IPL 2025 refuse to die after Zaheer Khan, the Lucknow Super Giants mentor, questioned the nature of the surface used for the team's home game against Punjab Kings on Tuesday. Lucknow suffered their second defeat of the season, losing to PBKS by eight wickets, with Zaheer partially blaming the defeat on the curator. LSG were probably hopeful of a more spin-friendly surface, but pacers ruled the roost, with Arshdeep Singh picking up three wickets, with Lockie Ferguson and Marco Jansen taking a wicket each as well, to bowl keep Lucknow to 171/7 in 20 overs.
In reply, Lucknow's bowlers could only pick 2 wickets, both by mystery spinner Digvesh Singh Rathi, as Punjab chased down the target in just 16.2 overs, with 22 balls to spare. Zaheer was perhaps not in favour of a belter, and with the 'home advantage' debate raging on in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League, the former India pacer wondered whether the curator was a Punjab fan.
"What was a little disappointing for me here. Considering it's a home game and in IPL you've seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, from that point of view you've seen the curator is not really thinking that it's a home game. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was Punjab curator out here," Zaheer said during the press conference," Zaheer said.
"So that's something which we will figure. It's a new set-up also for me, but I hope that this is the first and the last game when it comes to that. Because you are disappointing the Lucknow fans as well. They've come up with so much expectations of winning the first home game here."
This isn't the first time that a franchise or its representative have had reservations with their home curator. Last week, Ajinkya Rahane's request for a spin-friendly surface was turned down by Eden Gardens curator Mukherjee, who said, 'As long as I am here, the pitch won't change'. Simon Doull questioned the curator's authority to take such a call and even suggested KKR change their home ground. Things calmed down, with Mukherjee taking a U-turn, but with a similar issue rising again, the IPL may just want to look into the matter.
Not using it as en excuse: Zaheer Khan
Having said that, Zaheer is not using the pitch as an excuse for the defeat. He did, however, insist that home pitches must give the team some incentive, not that it's all that matters though.
"As a team, we are confident. We accept that we've lost the game, and we have got to do whatever it takes to make that impact in the home leg. We still have six more games to go here, and this team has shown in the season so far, whatever little cricket is played, that we have the right outlook and the mindset to look at the IPL. What you can expect is innovation, out-of-the-box thinking, the fight, the hunger, and that sums us up as a team," added Zaheer.
"We will go according to what the curator tells us. We are not using this as an excuse. We have seen during the last season that it's not like batters don't have to struggle here at times. All these things go on in cricket. But the way the home team should get support, everyone needs to know this is our home team that is playing in Lucknow and what can we do to help them win? Everyone's contribution is important. We will find a way anyway to win matches…"
