Spotlight on Sourav Ganguly as Eden's boss sits in opposition camp

As president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, the former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is head of the team that provides facilities for IPL matches in Eden Garden, including pitch preparation

The first thing Sourav Ganguly did on walking onto the Eden Gardens turf was checking the wicket. In Delhi Capitals colours, there couldn't have been a better frame to capture the contours of a controversy that Bengal's biggest cricket icon finds himself in.

As president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, the former India skipper is head of the team that provides facilities for IPL matches here, including pitch preparation. Today, hosts Kolkata Knight Riders take on Delhi Capitals, where Ganguly joined as an advisor this year. The match will be played in the backdrop of a Conflict of Interest complaint currently in the BCCI ombudsman's court.

Also read: Sourav Ganguly on Delhi Capitals role: Spoke to CoA, no conflict of interest

"If we still see a little bit of grass on it tomorrow then we have got some good fast bowling options," quipped Delhi coach Ricky Ponting yesterday when asked about the greenish track. With Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Chris Morris and Ishant Sharma on the roster, it's Delhi who will surely benefit more from such conditions. This can certainly fuel the controversy, the last word on which is yet to be heard. The last time Ganguly appeared at the Eden in a visiting team jersey was in 2012, when he played for Pune Warriors. But KKR have come a long way since, and have a committed fan base and two title triumphs.

Also read: Kane Williamson, Khaleel Ahmed to be fit for the clash against Delhi Capitals

Ponting was however quick to remind that the nature of the Eden wicket for the IPL has changed. "The wickets have been exceptionally good in the last couple of years. The reason they have been so good is that the curators decided to leave just a little bit more grass and they haven't sort of spun as much. It has pretty good pace and bounce and the ball tends to swing a bit here as well because of humid conditions," he said.

Also read: Sourav Ganguly clarifies stand on Conflict of Interest

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