'We Play On Whatever Surface Is Provided To Us': KKR's Chandrakant Pandit
IPL 2025: KKR's Chandrakant Pandit has shared his opinion on pitch curators and franchises, as the head coach admits he too prefers to have 'control' on it. Read below.
IPL 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit on Sunday supported the idea of teams having greater control over the nature of pitches at their home venues, saying they too "expect something to be provided” at Eden Gardens.
The nature of the pitch at KKR’s home venue has been in discussion ever since captain Ajinkya Rahane wished getting more support for his spinners at the Eden Gardens.
“As a coach, as a team management, we always… whatever the surface has been provided to us, we play. The control, of course, that will be under curator,” Pandit told the media here on Sunday.
Pandit, who refrained from making any definite comments on the topic, said any team including KKR would like to play on pitches that support their skills.
“At this moment, my focus is definitely going to be in the next game tomorrow which we are playing,” he said ahead of the clash against Mumbai Indians here.
“At the moment, I am definitely not thinking on what has to be done, what is in whose control. But, let us focus on tomorrow's game which is very crucial for us.
“I don't know what is the system in different states or different grounds where the control is over the franchise. But, at the moment, what I understand is the surface which is given to us, probably, of course, as a team management, as a coach, as a captain, we expect something to be provided. That's all,” he said.
When asked if IPL teams in general should receive more favorable pitches at their home venues for seven out of 14 league matches, Pandit replied, “Who will not be happy about that? I mean, this is a simple answer." "Narine is fit, available for MI game" Pandit confirmed that veteran all-rounder Sunil Narine has recovered from illness and is available for clash against Mumbai Indians.
“Sunil is 100 per cent fit. He has definitely recovered well and he has been practicing since yesterday. Today, he is practicing as well. So, he is absolutely fine at the moment,” he said.
With Mumbai Indians losing both their contests so far in the IPL, Pandit said his side would want to put further pressure on the hosts.
“More than anything else, I would definitely think about the way our team has played the last game. Mumbai Indians have not been doing that (winning) so that is another advantage that we can put a pressure on them.
“But the game is being played in Mumbai and we have to adapt immediately to the conditions here and that is what we have been planning, (hopefully) we would be able to do that,” he said.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
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