Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has addressed recent speculation about his absence from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens on Monday, clarifying that it was due to pre-planned roster scheduling and not because of any complaint from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
The controversy emerged after media reports revealed CAB’s letter to BCCI, sent by secretary Naresh Ojha about 10 days ago, requesting the removal of Bhogle and Simon Doull from commentary duties in Kolkata. The request came after their comments about the Eden Gardens pitch not favoring the home team.
“There are some inappropriate conclusions being drawn about why I wasn’t at yesterday’s game in Kolkata. Quite simply, it wasn’t on the list of matches I was down to do!” Bhogle wrote on X.
“Asking me would have resolved the issue. Rosters are done before the tournament starts. I was rostered for two games in Kolkata. I was there for the first and an illness in the family prevented me from being at the 2nd,” he added.
The match in question saw KKR lose to Gujarat Titans by 39 runs at Eden Gardens on Monday.
The controversy stems from ongoing discussions about the pitch conditions at Eden Gardens. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and head coach Chandrakant Pandit have expressed their desire for more spin-friendly tracks to suit their bowling attack featuring Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Moeen Ali.
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The situation intensified when CAB supported curator Sujan Mukherjee, leading to Doull suggesting that KKR should consider finding a new home venue if their requirements weren’t being met.
Bhogle had previously commented that KKR should be entitled to home advantage, which added to the controversy surrounding the commentary panel’s statements about the pitch conditions.
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