Days after Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana stated that every team in the Indian Premier League enjoys home advantage 'except KKR', Delhi Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson has blamed the pitch at their home ground, the Feroz Shah Kotla, for the side's dismal performance in the 2023 season. “The pitches here in Delhi haven't been great, to be totally honest,” Watson told reporters ahead of DC's final game of the tournament against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday. “They probably are great if you've got a lot of Indian top order batters. Then that wicket will suit that team. But that's not the make-up of our squad.” Watson referred to Delhi's penultimate game against Punjab Kings at Dharamsala, where they posted 213/2, their highest total of the season. The former Australia all-rounder said the pitches at the Kotla were not in sync with the strengths of the home team. “As we saw the other night, if we're able to play on a good traditional cricket wicket, where the ball goes through nicely, doesn't really turn a lot, we saw exactly what can happen from our batting line-up,” he said. “We've got Prithvi Shaw with the overseas players (at the top). That's our strength. But unfortunately, when we come to Delhi, due to the amount of cricket that's been played on this wicket block, it's very dry. There's not much grass, if any. Which, unfortunately, exposes the set-up of our batting in particular.” Watson hoped that the franchise would get pitches more to its liking in 2024. “Next season, hopefully the conditions are going to be more suitable to the make-up of our team. And there'll be more true batting surfaces, which will then really showcase the world- class batters that we have on traditional cricket wickets.” Swift rebuttal DC, who are ninth in the 10-team league going into the last round of games, have only won two of the six games they've played at home so far. However, an official of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) said that they have been told not to heed the franchise's demands as far as the pitch is concerned, and that the three-year gap between IPL games at the Kotla was the reason for DC not being able to adjust to the conditions. “We've been given clear instructions not to listen to the franchise. (The absence of grass) is owing to the heat that has increased,” the official told The Indian Express. “The wicket was tougher in the 2019 season. If you look at the average scores from that year, they were somewhere around 135-140.” Recently, Kolkata Knight Riders had complained about the pitches at their home venue Eden Gardens, not catering to their strengths, responding to which curator Sujan Mukherjee had told this paper that he was not bound to produce wickets as per the directions of the home team. “IPL is not played on home advantage, and the captain may say anything he wants,” Mukherjee said. “Does IPL have a clause where it is written that pitches have to be produced according to the wishes of the IPL franchise?”
