Harsha had suggested that KKR should get the home advantage at the Eden Gardens.
Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle has dismissed reports that he was kept away from the IPL 2025 fixture between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans on Monday (April 21) due to a complaint by the Cricket Association of Bengal.
Harsha clarified that he was tasked to cover only two games in Kolkata, which are over. His statement came a day after the CAB's letter to the BCCI, sent about 10 days ago by its secretary Naresh Ojha, surfaced in media reports.
In the letter, the body demanded sacking of Bhogle and former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull from the commentary panel for matches in Kolkata after they openly criticized that the Eden Gardens pitch was not helping the local franchise KKR.
"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.
Earlier this month, Doull got embroiled in the controversy as he opined that KKR should relocate their franchisee if the curator was not paying any heed to team's request for spin-friendly tracks. On the other hand, Bhogle suggested that the team should get the home advantage.
The CAB, however, stood firmly behind its curator Sujan Mukherjee, maintaining that he has followed the BCCI guidelines, which state that no franchise can influence or dictate the nature of the pitch at a venue.
The KKR think-tank had reportedly requested a more spin-friendly surface to assist the likes of Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine and Moeen Ali.
(With PTI Inputs)