Indian Premier League 2017: Indore curator wants to pitch it right for T20 - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Indian Premier League 2017: Indore curator wants to pitch it right for T20

Indore | By
Apr 19, 2017 11:54 AM IST

The pitches being used at the Holkar Stadium for IPL 2017 have made for an even contest between bat and ball till now

The Indore pitch has traditionally been quite friendly towards batsmen. The first ODI played at the venue saw Virender Sehwag hit 219 against West Indies to take India to a mammoth 418. Since then, the Indore turf has produced some good scores and the last time India played a limited-overs match at the Holkar Stadium, Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a special innings to clinch the win over South Africa. (IPL 2017 FULL COVERAGE)

The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore has been the ‘home’ of Kings XI Punjab in Indian Premier League 2017.(BCCI)
The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore has been the ‘home’ of Kings XI Punjab in Indian Premier League 2017.(BCCI)

However, the pitches at the Holkar Stadium being used for the 2017 IPL have made for an even contest between bat and ball till now. Although the scores have been quite decent, the bowlers have also received quite a bit of assistance from the turf.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The moisture in the pitch resulted in a lot of movement for the bowlers early in the game, and thanks to some disciplined bowling performances, the teams batting first in both the matches were unable to get off to a flying start in spite of having a talented top-order.

READ | Krunal Pandya back with renewed passion after overcoming obstacles

As a result, both the matches were won by the team batting second. In the first match, Kings XI Punjab easily chased down a target of 149 with 33 balls to spare against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The second match saw KXIP chasing a steeper target, but the result was the same as Glenn Maxwell’s explosive knock clinched the game for the hosts against Rising Pune Supergiant.

The match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians will be the last one at Indore’s Holkar Stadium this year and chief pitch curator Samandar Singh believes that they will be able to produce a balanced pitch for the game, which will not change much during the course of the game.

“We are trying our best to produce an even wicket which will remain the same for 40 overs. The wicket should not change much and you can expect an exciting game,” Singh told HT.

At the start of the tournament, there were a lot of reports that the Indore turf will turn out to be another batsman’s paradise, but Singh denied all those rumours.

READ | IPL 2017: Pat Cummins wants to take Zaheer Khan home to Australia

“It is not fair to make a wicket which is suited only for batsmen and while preparing the wicket for tomorrow’s game, we will keep all the factors in mind.”

Indore was awarded its first international Test match in October 2016 and the pitch used in the encounter earned a lot of praise from all corners. The match witnessed brilliant batting performances from Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, while Ravichandran Ashwin took 13 wickets to complete a memorable win for India.

Samandar Singh believes that the pitch used in the game is exactly the kind of wicket that the game needs and his team is trying to replicate it for future matches. “The pitch during the India-New Zealand Test match was appreciated by a lot of people and we would love to produce competitive wickets for all the matches at this venue.”

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On