What was spoken in whispers in certain quarters till the other day is now out in the open.
The Kolkata Knight Riders captain, Nitish Rana, has finally made it clear that the team is not happy with the wicket at Eden Gardens and squarely blamed it for their inconsistent performances.
The Knights have lost four of the six matches at their home ground this season. They need to win their final league match against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday to remain in contention for the playoffs berth.
Rana's comments haven't gone down well with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) brass, though none were willing to speak on record.
"Home-away wala advantage sab team o ke pass hai sivayee KKR ko chod ke (Every team enjoys home advantage except KKR)," Rana said during the presentation after KKR's six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk on Sunday.
Home advantage has always been a determining factor in the IPL and successful franchises like CSK and Mumbai Indians have excelled on home conditions prepared to suit their needs. CSK have won four of their seven matches at home in IPL 2023.
In 2014, the last time when KKR won the IPL, they had an all-win record in their four matches at home.
The IPL's Playing Conditions (Rule 6.3.1) clearly state, "before the match, the ground authority shall be responsible for the selection and preparation of the pitch. During the match, the umpires shall control its use and maintenance."
Rule 6.3.2.5 further says that those who have access to the pitch, including captains and coaches of both teams, "shall not interfere with pitch preparation".
Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee didn't wish to make a comment but an associate was scathing in his remarks.
"Complaining about not being offered favourable conditions doesn't suit a team which gets dismissed for 149 while the opposition reaches the target in 13.1 overs. Remember that pitch was dry and afforded turn. It showed that there was nothing wrong with the wicket... only the home team failed to deliver when it came to batting and bowling," he said.
Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore didn't wish to stir a controversy, maintaining that he didn't hear Rana's comments at the presentation. However, he pointed to their record this season (four away wins) to draw a conclusion.
"We have won more on the road than at home, but who knows what the reason is," Mysore told The Telegraph on Monday.
CAB secretary Naresh Ojha noted that the KKR team management has never complained during the course of the IPL about the wicket.
"I'm not sure on what context Rana has said this... Never have they told us anything about the conditions. At least I'm not privy to any such discussion on the pitch," Ojha said.
There is no denying the fact that the Rana-led team has failed to adjust to the wicket at Eden Gardens. It has also been discussed whether their team selection has been in sync with the home conditions.
The Knights were outplayed by Sunrisers Hyderabad, CSK, Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals at the Eden.
Sunil Narine's failure has been a major factor behind KKR's poor record at Eden Gardens. While the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma have excelled, Narine struggled in conditions which weren't as slow and low as he would have expected.
As aspersions were cast of him going past his sell-by date, Narine came into his own on Chennai's slow turner with spongy bounce to finish with two for 15. That turned out to be decisive for Rana's men as CSK got a harsh lesson of the ground realities.
