KKR, the defending champions, bounced back with a strong win against Rajasthan Royals. The controversy arose when KKR's pitch curator, Sujan Mukherjee, refused to prepare a spin-friendly track as requested by skipper Ajinkya Rahane. This led to criticism from former cricketer Simon Doull and commentator Harsha Bhogle, highlighting the importance of home advantage in IPL.
