Rahane avoids controversy, plans to take up Eden pitch concerns with IPL officials

Rahane sidesteps Eden pitch row, hints at taking concerns to IPL

"I prefer not to speak. If I speak, I'm in big trouble." Jose Mourinho’s iconic line after a controversial Chelsea loss in 2014 resurfaced in spirit during Ajinkya Rahane’s post-match press conference on Tuesday. Following Kolkata Knight Riders’ narrow four-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the KKR captain chose a similar path of restraint when asked about the Eden Gardens pitch.

"Agar main kuch bolunga na toh bawal ho jayega" ("If I say anything, it'll create chaos"), Rahane said, echoing Mourinho's sentiment without naming him.

The context was clear. KKR’s spinners, traditionally expected to thrive at Eden, struggled once again, reigniting chatter over whether the surface truly supports the home side's strengths.

“Let me just keep it that way,” Rahane continued. “Jo humare curator hai, unko bahut publicity mila hai” ("Our curator’s already received a lot of publicity"). He added pointedly, “Whatever you want to write about home advantage, go ahead. If I have any concerns, I’ll raise them with the IPL directly and speak with the relevant authorities — not you guys.”

The loss, where 238 played 234 in a high-octane thriller, left bowlers from both sides battered. Yet eyebrows were raised as KKR didn’t use all eight overs of spin on their home turf. Sunil Narine bowled only three overs, conceding 38 runs without a wicket. While Varun Chakravarthy and debutant Digvesh Rathi bowled their full quotas at respectable economies, there was clearly little turn to work with on a flat, sun-baked surface.

“There was no help for the spinners — let me be clear on that,” Rahane said when asked why Narine wasn’t brought back. “They used the longer boundary very well. Our bowlers gave it everything, but Nicholas Pooran and Mitchell Marsh batted brilliantly. They took their chances, and they came off.”

Pooran (87* off 36) and Marsh (81 off 48) were destructive in the middle overs, making the most of the lopsided boundaries — 57 metres on one side, 70 on the other — and a true pitch that offered little margin for error.

Rahane explained that KKR’s bowlers had detailed plans for the LSG power-hitters but faltered in execution.

“Sometimes, when you’ve got the right plan, it still comes down to landing the ball exactly where you need to,” he said. “Against world-class players like Pooran and Marsh, the room for error is tiny. I thought our plans were solid — but we missed the perfect yorker or the slower wide one just slightly, and they punished us.”

Despite the heartbreak, Rahane remained optimistic. His own 61 off 35, along with brisk knocks from Narine (30 off 13) and Venkatesh Iyer (45 off 29), kept KKR in the chase, with the team racing to 90/1 in the powerplay — their second-best six-over start in IPL history.

“I thought we played really good cricket,” Rahane said. “Chasing 239 and getting that close is no easy task. The intent and belief in the dressing room after the first innings were really strong. We genuinely thought we could do it.”

He praised the team’s powerplay approach: “Sunny’s intent at the top and Venkatesh’s strokeplay were outstanding. We’ve got a lot of positives to build on. For me, this game is done — the key is to keep learning from both our mistakes and our successes.”

With two wins from five matches, KKR sit sixth on the points table. They now head to Chennai for a quick turnaround, facing CSK on April 11 in what promises to be another tough contest.

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