Home advantage good thing, will speak to Ganguly: KKR CEO

Kolkata, April 29 (IANS) While admitting that the Eden Gardens wicket hasn't exactly been what they wanted, Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said they have themselves to blame more for the spate of losses this season. Mysore also ruled out the option of playing their home matches outside Kolkata.

KKR snapped a six-game losing streak to beat Mumbai Indians by 34 runs on Sunday night to keep their playoff hopes alive. The two time champions, who traditionally bank on their spinners to deliver the goods, failed to do that on an Eden track which was a batting paradise and hardly assisted turn.

"You build a team based on your home conditions primarily because you're playing seven games there. So it's been slightly unusual in that sense. That's (home advantage) a good thing and that's how rivalries are built up," Mysore told reporters on the sidelines of a charity event.

Mysore said they would have discussions with the Cricket Association of Bengal top brass including Sourav Ganguly on getting the home advantage but there's no question of moving away. "We will try and continue to have good discussions with the CAB, curator, the president and others to make sure that as home team we should have some advantage.

"We are a Kolkata team. The kind of love affair, romance that has built up between KKR, the city and the fans is most gratifying. The team also recognises it. We are grateful for that. The kind of support we get here is incredible," Mysore said.

Mysore pointed out that despite the string of poor shows, fans have turned up in numbers. "Until yesterday, we had lost six in a row but every game was pretty much sold out. Fans have come and cheered us all the way. That's great to see. That just shows, while fans get frustrated with results as we all do, the support remains and it continues. So there is no question of that type of a thought process," he maintained.

"In all fairness, we have probably not played to our potential. If some of the results had gone our way, we would not be talking about the conditions, pitch and all that," he said.

Russell was promoted to No 3 on Sunday after the West Indies all-rounder expressed his displeasure. The 30-year old slammed an unbeaten 80 from 40 balls.

Head coach Jacques Kallis said it was a collective decision to send Russell at No 3. "We are a team that plays according to the situation. We had a good start so we decided that Russell bats higher up to get maximum number of overs. Fortunately it worked for us," the South African great said.