On May 20, 2023, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, the 68th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 was played between the two-time winner Kolkata Knight Riders and the Lucknow Super Giants, which was led by Krunal Pandya.
Lucknow Super Giants, which is led by Krunal Pandya, got new colors for a special event. When they played against Kolkata, Lucknow wore maroon and green to honor ATK Mohun Bagan FC. After beating Kolkata by one run, Lucknow also moved on to the next round of the competition. This was a fitting way to honor one of the oldest football teams in the world.
The knocks from Rinku Singh and Jason Roy made it possible for the two-time winners to win. But Yash Thakur’s last over made it hard for Kolkata to get the runs they needed, which put Lucknow in the playoffs.
Disrespecting the National Club of India and hurting our fans’ feelings: Dutta
But the tribute was cut short when some fans wearing Kolkata Knight Riders jerseys were allegedly turned away by the club’s management. When Mohun Bagan’s general secretary Debashish Dutta thought about this, he criticized the management of the two-time winners for not letting them in.
“It was a special match for Mohun Bagan fans because LSG was wearing a new green and maroon jersey,” Debashish Dutta said in a press release.
“However, the KKR management limited the freedom of the Mohun Bagan fans (who are also fans of KKR and LSG) by not letting them into the stadium because they were wearing Mohun Bagan jerseys.”
“Mohun Bagan Athletic Club strongly condemns this move by KKR management for disrespecting the National Club of India and hurting the feelings of our fans. It is a person’s right to support and wear the jersey of the team he or she loves and supports. “No one has the right to get in the way of someone else’s choice,” Dutta said in the end.
The Mohun Bagan official’s comment hasn’t been answered by the Kolkata Knight Riders yet, but they might do so in the next few days.