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The debate over home advantage in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 has sparked significant discussions among cricket experts and coaches. The key point of contention is whether franchises should have the authority to dictate pitch preparation at their home venues. Former India cricketer and renowned commentator Aakash Chopra has voiced strong support for home teams having the right to influence pitch conditions, arguing that home advantage is a fundamental part of cricket.
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Home Teams and Their Struggle for Pitch Influence
In the early stages of IPL 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit expressed concerns that his team had minimal influence over the pitch at Eden Gardens. Similarly, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming highlighted that his team does not enjoy a clear home advantage at Chepauk due to unpredictable pitch behavior.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan also pointed out that the pitch at the Ekana Stadium seemed to favor visiting teams, raising further questions about the extent of home control over playing conditions.
Chopra firmly believes that home teams should be allowed to request specific pitch conditions to maximize their strengths. He argues that the surface plays a crucial role in team strategies, and if teams cannot tailor it to their strengths, they lose a vital aspect of their planning.
“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, because home advantage is real, and it comes in only two forms: one is the surface that you choose, and the second is the crowd support. Other than that, it’s practically an away game. The paramount thing is the surface they are going to play on—crowd support might still be secondary. If you take away the pitch factor, whole plans completely derail,” Chopra stated on ESPNcricinfo’s IPL show, Time Out.
Challenges for Teams with Multiple Home Venues
Teams like Delhi Capitals (DC), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) face additional difficulties, as they play some of their home games at secondary venues such as Visakhapatnam, Dharamsala, and Guwahati. Chopra pointed out that this puts them at a strategic disadvantage, as they cannot build their squads around a consistent home pitch.
“From time to time, I actually scratch my head about this, and I still haven’t found an answer. You don’t pick a team based on how the pitch is going to behave in Guwahati or Dharamsala. You build a squad thinking you will play seven home games at Sawai Mansingh Stadium [Jaipur], ideally. Chennai will pick a team suited for Chepauk. If you deny them that opportunity, their entire strategy is disrupted,” Chopra explained.
BCCI’s Stance on Pitch Control
On the other hand, former India all-rounder and ex-RCB coach Sanjay Bangar believes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should retain some control over pitch preparation to prevent games from becoming too one-sided.
“I think the BCCI would like to maintain a bit of control and preserve the characteristics of a surface. If you leave it entirely to franchises, matches might become too lopsided. I prefer a balance where home teams don’t have complete control, but there’s still enough variety due to India’s diverse soil types,” Bangar commented.
Bangar further pointed out that IPL franchises do not own stadiums or curators, as these are managed by state cricket associations. He suggested that in the future, if franchises own their grounds, they might have more authority over pitch conditions. However, under the current system, they are essentially “tenants,” making it difficult to dictate pitch preparation.
“In RCB’s Chinnaswamy Stadium, for example, there are only two pitches available due to the small ground size. There’s limited scope for drastic variations in pitch behavior. Teams can build their squads based on historical data from a venue, but expecting a groundsman to tailor a pitch exactly to a team’s preference isn’t feasible under the current structure,” Bangar explained.
The Verdict
The debate over home teams’ influence on pitch preparation is likely to continue, with experts divided on how much control franchises should have. While Aakash Chopra strongly supports the idea of teams dictating pitch conditions to leverage their strengths, Sanjay Bangar believes a level of regulation is necessary to ensure fairness and avoid excessive home dominance.
As IPL 2025 progresses, this issue will remain a topic of discussion, especially for teams struggling to establish a consistent home advantage. Whether the BCCI tweaks its stance or maintains the status quo, the role of pitches in team strategies will always be a crucial aspect of IPL cricket.
