Pitch conditions play a huge role in a cricket game as it affects team strategy, performances of the players, and results of the game. However, in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, pitch controversies are at the forefront, with few teams complaining about the surface at their home pitches. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have all been frustrated with the pitch curation, accusing curators of not preparing the surfaces that favors the players' strength of the home side. This has also ignited a large debate, must pitch curators be neutral, or can they permit teams to have a "home advantage"? KKR vs Eden Gardens Curator: Rahane's Spin-Friendly Request Denied The controversy had started when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane voiced out openly about his disappointment over the Eden Gardens pitch following his team's dismal defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 opening match. Rahane was expecting a spin-friendly surface to aid KKR's bowling attack as they have two top-notch spinners in the name of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, but Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee rubbished such alterations. Referring to the match, Rahane was frustrated and complained: "We would love to see the pitch helping the spin bowlers but again, this wicket was under cover for the last one-and-a-half days. Both the spinners we have, the quality they have, they can bowl in any kind of wicket, and I am sure they are confident as well." Ajinkya Rahane - We would love to see some spin at the Eden Gardens.Curator Sujan Mukherjee - As long as I'm here, Eden pitch will not change. Franchise have no say in what pitch should be. RCB spinners took 4 wickets, what did KKR spinners do? (Revsportz). — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 25, 2025 KKR's spin pair struggled on the surface, and RCB took advantage of the conditions, winning convincingly. The incident has led to speculation about whether home teams should have a role in pitch preparation or whether curators should provide standardized playing conditions for all games. Also Read | Jasprit Bumrah's Fitness Update: Comeback May Take Longer CSK's Coach Stephen Fleming on Chepauk Pitch Mystery Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a home-dominant side, suffered a humiliating defeat against RCB at Chepauk, that too for the first time since 2008 and it was their largest home defeat in IPL history. After the game, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming dropped a bombshell, saying that his side has been struggling to "read" their home pitch for years. After a huge defeat against RCB, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said: "Well, as we've been telling you for a number of years, there was no home advantage at Chepauk. We've won away from home a couple of times. And we haven't been able to read...we've been really honest with you." Stephen Fleming said, "there was no home advantage at Chepauk. We haven't been able to read the wickets here in the last couple of years. It's so hard to read, we thought it was going to skid on with the dew but it actually got a bit tacky so, it certainly made it harder here". pic.twitter.com/MpGbhl9FpW — Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 29, 2025 Chepauk has been traditionally known to favor spinners, but in this game, the pitch was behaving in an unpredictable manner, and it was hard for CSK's bowling attack to implement their strategies properly. This makes one wonder if the curators at Chepauk are keeping the pitch behavior consistent or if external factors such as weather and overuse are changing conditions in an unpredictable manner. LSG's Zaheer Khan Lashes Out at Lucknow Pitch Curator The most recent controversy was sparked following Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)'s eight-wicket defeat at home against Punjab Kings (PBKS). LSG mentor Zaheer Khan was not shy with his disappointment and raised questions about the strategy of the pitch curator at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Zaheer said: "What was a little disappointing for me here, considering it's a home game. In IPL, you've seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, you know, so yeah, from that point of view, you've seen the curator is not really thinking that it's a home game, you know. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was Punjab curator out here." View this post on Instagram A post shared by CricketGully (@cricketgullyofficial) Zaheer even insinuated miscommunication or extraneous influence over pitch preparation. His frustration lay in the fact that LSG had been hoping for a slow wicket, which would have suited them well. But the pitch played flat, and it enabled PBKS to chase 172 with 22 balls left. Even LSG captain Rishabh Pant accepted the problem, citing that they had anticipated a slow pitch but did not receive what they had schemed for. The absence of help to LSG's spinners, specifically Ravi Bishnoi, who finished with 3-0-43-0, further highlighted the miscalculation. Also Read | Shreyas Iyer Surpasses Sehwag in IPL Captaincy Record After LSG Win Should Home Teams Have a Say in Pitch Preparation? The current discussion is centered on whether teams in IPL should have say in pitch conditions at their home grounds. Conventionally, teams have been using their home advantage to prepare pitches according to their strengths. In IPL 2025, though, several franchises have complained that curators are not taking their inputs into account or that conditions are being tampered with so as to be neutralized. Though curators try to keep things even, home advantage is a part of cricket, especially in franchise tournaments such as the IPL, where every particular team plays 14 league games, it becomes highly necessary for every team to have home advantage in the seven matches. The franchise and the coaching staff prepare the teams keeping the home conditions in mind and when those presumptions do not come true, it leaves them in disadvantage, such as with KKR, CSK, and LSG this season. But keeping it neutral comes with its own advantages, providing a level playing field for every team. If curators overdo it on favoring the home team, it might result in uneven conditions for visiting teams, lowering the competitiveness level in the tournament. What's Next for IPL 2025's Pitch Controversies? With several teams raising their voices about pitches, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may intervene to control pitch preparation more strictly. The BCCI and IPL officials can consider: Smooth Communication Between Curators and Team Management: Making sure that teams and curators are on the same page about pitch conditions. The curators should prepare the pitch according to the teams' strength. Neutral Curator Supervision: Implementing independent curators to supervise pitch preparation as it will ensure the fairness for the game. Regular Pitch Reports/Updates: The curators/ground staffs should update the teams with regular information on pitch behavior in order to prevent any surprises during the match. As the IPL 2025 progresses, it will be exciting to observe if the pitch controversies continue to be same or if teams manage to adjust to the fluctuating pitches. One thing is for sure, pitch curators are now under more scrutiny than ever before, and their influence on the outcomes of matches is being questioned at the most critical level.