In the lead up to the match between KKR and GT, it was reported that CAB has written a letter to BCCI requesting them to remove Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull from the commentary roster. Apparently, in a show, they had suggested KKR to move out of Kolkata due to the issue with the pitch and curator.
Harsha Bhogle made the headlines before and during the match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday (April 21). It was earlier reported that the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) wrote a letter to the BCCI not to allow Bhogle and Simon Doull to commentate in KKR’s home games after the duo suggested KKR move out of Kolkata as their home ground over the pitch controversy.
For the unversed, KKR and their skipper Ajinkya Rahane were clearly not happy with the pitch at the Eden Gardens in the opening game of IPL 2025, which they lost to RCB. After the match, the curator’s comments on the KKR team turned out to be controversial, and reacting to them, Bhogle and Doull, in a show on Cricbuzz, suggested KKR move out of Kolkata.
With both of them missing in commentary in the KKR vs GT clash, many linked this report to their absence and drew conclusions. However, Harsha Bhogle has silenced all the speculations, clarifying that his name was never on the roster to commentate in the game. He also noted that the commentary roster is made before the start of the IPL and indirectly clarified that he wasn’t specifically removed after CAB’s letter.
“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 wrote on X.
Harsha is certain not to return to Kolkata for the rest of the league games, but it remains to be seen if he will be included in the roster for the playoffs.
