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'Deliberate effort from our side, we wanted...': GT reveal ploy to tame MI, home advantage debate gains further traction
Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel revealed how the franchise came up with a ploy to tame five-time champions Mumbai Indians.
It has been one week since the IPL 2025 season began, and already, there is a lot to talk about. A raging debate surrounding home advantage has erupted after Kolkata curator Sujan Mukherjee denied Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane's request to make the 22 yards more conducive to spin bowling. Mukherjee cited BCCI rules, saying he would not alter the condition of the track.
Amid all this chatter, Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel revealed how his side devised a ploy to tame five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Speaking to the host broadcaster during Match 9 of the 18th edition of the cash-rich league, Parthiv stated that the franchise deliberately asked for a black soil track for the match against the Hardik Pandya-led side.
"(This is) on a slower side, something which we wanted. Mumbai have been preparing themselves by playing on a red surface. It was a deliberate effort from our side," said Parthiv Patel.
"We wanted to play on black soil. It's stopping a bit, and it's slightly stickier to start with. From the first impression, there are a lot of cracks on the pitch," he added.
This tactic to have a black soil pitch for the fixture against Mumbai Indians paid off as Gujarat Titans registered a comprehensive 36-run win.
After the win, Gill also explained the strategy to have a black soil pitch, saying, “The decision was taken before the first match that the second match (vs MI) will be played on black soil. Yes, that was a factor as well (MI's strong batting line-up), but this wicket suited us.”
CSK coach says ‘no home advantage’
After the loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming weighed in on the debate surrounding pitches, saying his side has no "home advantage" as they have been unable to read the tracks at Chepauk since two years.
It must be mentioned that the Chennai pitch usually assisted spinners. But lately, the pacers have come into their own, and even run-scoring has become a bit easier.
"Well, as we've been telling you for a number of years, there was no home advantage at Chepauk. We've won away from home a couple of times. And we haven't been able to read… we've been really honest with you. We haven't been able to read the wickets here in the last couple of years. So, it's not new. We are trying to come to grips each day with what we get, and we don't know," Fleming told reporters at a post-match press conference.
"It's not the Chepauk [of old] where you can just go in and play four spinners. We're having to work really hard to try and understand what the nature of each pitch is, and it's quite different," he added.
