Harsha Bhogle Reveals The Truth Behind CAB Banning Him And Simon Doull From Eden Gardens

In response to reports that he would not be on the commentary panel during the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs. Gujarat Titans (GT) IPL 2025 match in Kolkata, commentator Harsha Bhogle responded.

According to Harsha, who denied the reports, he was only supposed to commentate on two games in Kolkata.

Bhogle and Doull had objected to CAB's Pitch Curator

Concerns were voiced by Simon Doull and Harsha Bhogle regarding the Eden Gardens pitch. They asked why spin-friendly surfaces were not being provided to the Kolkata Knight Riders at home.

Notably, Bhogle and Doull were not part of the commentary crew during the IPL 2025 match between KKR and Gujarat Titans on Monday.

CAB felt disrespected after Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull slammed the Eden Gardens pitch curator

After losing to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane wanted the Eden Gardens surface to favor spinners, which caused a stir.

However, the ground's curator, Sujan Mukherjee, refused the proposal and indicated that he would keep to constructing neutral pitches.

In a discussion, Doull said the Ajinkya Rahane-led franchise should find a new home if the curator of Eden Gardens remains uncooperative. Harsha Bhogle had also expressed similar views.

The remarks made by Simon Doull and Harsha Bhogle about the pitch at Eden Gardens were criticized by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

Naresh Ojha, the CAB secretary, responded by formally complaining to the BCCI and asking that they be taken off the commentary panel for KKR's home games.

CAB defended Sujan Mukherjee, their pitch curator, saying he complied with the BCCI rules that forbid franchisees from influencing field preparation.

Harsha Bhogle opens up about CAB banning him from Eden Gardens

The cause of Harsha Bhogle's absence from the Kolkata Knight Riders game was disclosed. According to the pre-tournament lineup, Bhogle was only supposed to commentate on two games at Eden Gardens. Due to a family member's illness, he was unable to attend the second game, although he was present for the first.

"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. 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," Bhogle posted on 'X' (formerly known as Twitter).

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! Asking me would have resolved the issue. Rosters are done before the tournament starts. I was rostered for two…

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 22, 2025

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