'It was Punjab curator...' - Zaheer Khan Slams Pitch Curator After LSG's Defeat Against Punjab

In Tuesday's IPL 2025 match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) lost to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by a heartbreaking eight wickets. Zaheer Khan, the coach of LSG, criticized the pitch conditions after the defeat, saying that they seemed to have been created by a Punjab curator. Several IPL teams this season, such as the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, have voiced reservations about their home fields. Following their home loss against PBKS, LSG became the most recent team to bring attention to this problem.

Former Indian fast bowler and LSG coach Zaheer Khan expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome following the game. But by claiming that the playing surface suggested a "home game" for the visiting Punjab Kings squad, the renowned Indian batsman also indirectly mocked the pitch curator.

Zaheer Khan expresses disappointment:

At the press conference, he said, "Disappointed, not really thinking that it's a home game. What was a little disappointing for me here, considering it's a home game. In IPL, you've seen how teams have looked at taking a little bit of home advantage, you know, so yeah, from that point of view, you've seen the curator is not really thinking that it's a home game, you know. I think maybe it looked like, you know, it was Punjab curator out here."

LSG was put to bat on a red-soil pitch and battled from the beginning. During the powerplay, the side lost three early wickets. Despite efforts by Nicholas Pooran (44 off 30) to steady the innings, the team was only able to muster 171/7 in their 20 overs. With three wickets, including the removal of Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad in the last over of the first innings, Arshdeep Singh was Punjab's best bowler.

The LSG team, led by Rishabh Pant, dropped to sixth place on the IPL 2025 points table after suffering two losses in three games. On April 4, they will play the Mumbai Indians in the tournament's sixteenth match. The Ekana Stadium in Lucknow will also host the match against Mumbai.

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