Eden pitch to be changed for next IPL tie

Daljit had flown here last night and spent the entire day at the Eden Gardens after annoyed BCCI and IPL authorities directed him to rush to the city and suggest remedial measures to the CAB following the furore over the poor strip that had robbed much of the fun from the twenty20 game between the Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers.

Already reeling under criticism after a power snag halted Sunday night’s IPL tie for 31 minutes, the Cricket Association of Bengal saw its problems intensify as there was a partial power-breakdown from during the Knight Riders’ tune-up.

CAB joint secretary Samar Pal could not specify any reason for the latest snag, saying the matter had to be looked into.

CAB president Prasun Mukherjee said “Today also there was a power disruption at the same two towers, and a group comprising the top officials of (power utility) CESC, PWD and the chief electrical instructor of the West Bengal government has rushed to the ground.”

The officials would make an on-the-spot assessment of the problem and try to find out the possible reasons for the repeated power failure. CESC authorities claimed the disruption was not caused due to any failure on their part.

Meanwhile, a diplomatic Daljit chose not to directly criticise the Cricket Association of Bengal and curator Kalyan Mitra for the two-paced pitch that resulted in a low-scoring match, uncharacteristic of the twenty20 format famed for brisk runs rates and lusty hittings from the willow.

Even as pitch specialists and former players ripped apart the CAB and the curator for the wicket fiasco, Daljit came out with the explanation that the track crumbled because of the excessive heat.

“Due to the extreme heat, the top soil on the surface cracked. It was a dry wicket. I can’t blame Kalyan, as I know he is very sincere,” Daljit said.

Daljit, a former East Zone skipper, had on Monday termed the wicket as ‘unsuitable for a twenty20 game’. But the list of features that he mentioned when asked to describe an ideal strip for the twenty20 IPL league, made it clear that the Eden wicket had failed to meet any of the standards.

“As per IPL specifications, the pitch should last 40overs, have consistent bounce and pace, a fair amount of seam and must not have excessive turn”.