The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has refused to allow commentators Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull at the Eden Gardens here for any of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 matches due to excessive criticism of the pitches’ conditions.
In a major controversy ahead of the Kolkata leg of the IPL 2025, the CAB has reportedly requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to bar renowned commentators Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull from performing commentary duties at the aforesaid venue for the tournament remainder.
According to Indian media, CAB sent a letter to the BCCI expressing strong disapproval over the recent remarks made by the two commentators regarding Eden Gardens’ pitches.
The letter was submitted just after Kolkata Knight Riders’ home match against Gujarat Titans, concluded on Monday night.
The controversy centres around critical comments allegedly made by Bhogle and Doull, who reportedly questioned the quality and preparation of the Eden Gardens surface during an earlier match.
The criticism was directed at the venue’s long-serving curator, Sujan Mukherjee.
However, the CAB has come out in full support of the curator, asserting that he merely followed BCCI’s guidelines, which prohibit any IPL franchise from dictating during the pitch curation.
“The curator was simply doing his job in line with the rule book. It is inappropriate and disrespectful to single him out in public commentary,” a CAB official was quoted by an Indian news website.
The association believes that both Bhogle and Doull overstepped their boundaries and thus, the association has requested the BCCI to ensure they are not assigned commentary duties for any of the six remaining matches at the venue, including Qualifier 2 and the final.
It is pertinent to mention that the BCCI has not yet officially responded to CAB’s request.
