Harsha Bhogle breaks silence on IPL absence

Noted commentator Harsha Bhogle has rejected speculation that he was kept away from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans on Monday due to a complaint by the Cricket Association of Bengal, insisting that he was only empanelled for two games in Kolkata, which are over.

His clarification came a day after the CAB's letter to the BCCI, sent about 10 days ago by its secretary Naresh Ojha, was revealed in media reports. In the letter, the body asked for the removal of Bhogle and New Zealand's Simon Doull from the commentary panel for matches in Kolkata after they stated that the Eden Gardens pitch was not helping the local franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

"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 posted 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 without specifying the games.

KKR played against Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens on Monday and lost by 39 runs.

Both KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and head coach Chandrakant Pandit have demanded a more spin friendly track at the venue and expressed their frustration at not being given a track that suits their attack featuring Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Moeen Ali.

After the CAB threw its weight behind curator Sujan Mukherjee, Doull had suggested that KKR should look for a new base given that Mukherjee was not fulfilling the team's requirements.

Bhogle had also stated that KKR deserved to have the home advantage.