Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane has stirred the cricketing waters with his blunt remarks on the Eden Gardens pitch controversy during the toss before their IPL 2025 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). When queried about the pitch conditions at Eden Gardens, Rahane candidly stated, ‘At home, you should get what you want,’ drawing immediate attention to the ongoing debate surrounding the pitch’s preparation.
The question came at a critical juncture following reports of a discord between KKR and the Eden curator over the pitch’s state. The controversy has been simmering, and Rahane’s comments only fanned the flames further. He expressed satisfaction with the pitch, noting its suitability for KKR’s spinners, and hinted at a strategic assessment with the bat.
‘Looks good, I’m really happy with the pitch, we were also bowling first. It will suit our spinners. At home, you should get what you want, but we’ll need to assess the situation quickly with the bat,’ Rahane articulated confidently at the toss.
On the flip side, SRH captain Pat Cummins chose to bowl first, hoping to overturn last season’s dominance by KKR. Cummins admitted his struggle in reading the pitch but highlighted the changes both teams underwent since their last encounter. ‘We will bowl. Looks like a good surface, but I’m terrible at reading it. They outplayed us in the final last year, but both sides have changed a bit,’ Cummins remarked.
The clash between KKR and SRH at Eden Gardens was nothing short of a high-stakes battle, with both sides looking to climb the IPL 2025 points table. The excitement on the field was palpable, as both teams vied for supremacy in this crucial game.
The line-ups for the match were as follows:
Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Simarjeet Singh, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari
Kolkata Knight Riders XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy