Harsha Bhogle has cleared the air about why he wasn’t in Kolkata for the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT). Some reports had claimed that both he and former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull were removed from the commentary team after the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) allegedly wanted them banned from covering matches in the city. However, Harsha explained that this wasn’t true, he was simply not scheduled to commentate on that particular match.
“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,” said Bhogle in a post on X.
CAB Asks BCCI to Ban Harsha Bhogle, Simon Doull for Criticizing Eden Gardens Pitch
Earlier, it was reported that the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) had sent a letter to the BCCI, asking for a ban on Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull. This came after the two commentators criticised the pitch at Eden Gardens, saying it wasn’t prepared properly for KKR’s matches.
“Bhogle and Doull are no longer part of the IPL commentary team for KKR’s home matches. However, the situation might change when Eden hosts the Qualifier 2 and the Final on May 23 and 25,” a CAB official told PTI.
Doull said KKR should shift from Eden Gardens if they aren’t happy with the pitches.“If he (the curator) is not taking heed of what the home team wants… they are paying the stadium fees, they are paying for what’s going on in the IPL. If he’s still not listening, then just move the franchise away. His job is not to pass an opinion on the game. That’s not what he’s paid for,” Doull had said on Cricbuzz.
