Harsha Bhogle issues first statement after alleged ban from Eden Gardens: 'Asking me would have resolved the issue'

Popular cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has responded to the reports claiming he and former New Zealand player Simon Doull were banned from doing commentary at Eden Gardens for the rest of IPL 2025 . This comes a day after the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) sent a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) 10 days ago, urging them to ban Bhogle and Doull from doing commentary in Kolkata.

Before the game between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday, reports emerged suggesting that Bhogle and Doull will not be part of the commentary panel due to an alleged ban by the BCCI and CAB over their comments on the pitch controversy involving KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Eden’s pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee.

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Bhogle breaks silence, denies any ban

Bhogle said the reason he wasn’t at the KKR vs GT match on Monday was simple, he wasn’t assigned to cover it by the broadcaster. Bhogle cleared the air in a post on social media platform X. He wrote, “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.”

He also added that he was scheduled to do commentary for only two games at Eden Gardens this season. “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 wrote. Bhogle also said that if someone had just asked him, the confusion could have been avoided.

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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What is the controversy?

Bhogle and Doull made comments about KKR not getting proper home advantage and the Eden Gardens pitch not helping their spin bowlers. Doull had even gone as far as to say that KKR should consider moving out of Eden Gardens if the pitch doesn’t support their style of play.

Rahane has been unhappy with the Eden pitch this season. After their opening game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rahane had said that their demands for a spin-friendly pitch were not being met by the curator. KKR wanted a more spin-friendly track to suit their bowlers like Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.

However, Eden pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee defended himself by saying that no player or coach from KKR had asked for the pitch requirement for the first match. He further said that the pitches are prepared as per BCCI guidelines and franchises have no say over them.