Key Points
Home teams must control pitch preparation for strategic advantage
Pitch conditions critically impact team's game plan
IPL coaches debate home ground dynamics
Surface selection more important than crowd support
While speaking on ESPNcricinfo's IPL show, Time Out, Aakash Chopra said that home teams should have the right to dictate the pitch conditions they want, arguing that this is a crucial part of home advantage.
He feels that home advantage is derived from two factors: the pitch and the crowd support.
"I feel every home team should have the right to decide the kind of surface that they want they should demand the surface, and they should get it, is what I feel, because home advantage is real, and that comes in only two forms: one is the surface that you choose and the second is the crowd support that is there. Other than that, it's an away game." Aakash Chopra said on ESPNcricinfo's IPL show, Time Out.
He also believed that the pitch is the most critical factor for a team's performance, even more so than crowd support. They argue that if the pitch conditions are unfavourable, a team's entire game plan can be disrupted.
"The paramount thing is the surface they are going to play on - crowd might still be secondary. If you take away the pitch, I think whole plans completely derail," he added.
These have been key discussion points during the initial weeks of IPL 2025. Kolkata Knight Riders' head coach Chandrakant Pandit has stated that his team has minimal or no influence over pitch preparation at Eden Gardens.
Chennai Super Kings' head coach Stephen Fleming has rejected the notion that his team has a considerable home advantage at Chepauk, noting that they have had difficulties interpreting their home pitches in recent seasons.
Following his team's loss to Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants mentor Zaheer Khan indicated that the Ekana pitch appeared as though it had been prepared by the curator from the opposing team.
