Picture Credit: X
On the eve of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, the official commentary panel was revealed, but in a big surprise, the name of Irfan Pathan, who has been a regular feature in recent years, went missing. Following that, a report emerged about the 40-year-old getting snubbed due to a number of complaints made against him by Indian players for comments aimed at them, which they felt are a part of a personal agenda.
As per the exclusive report from MyKhel, one of the Indian players has ended up blocking the number of Irfan Pathan on his phone after hearing the comments on his performance during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test series against Australia. During the forgettable tour, the Indian cricket team lost the coveted trophy to the hosts with a 1-3 scoreline after five Test matches with none of their players except Jasprit Bumrah playing to their standard.
Sanjay Manjrekar and Harsha Bhogle have been omitted from commentating on Indian cricket in past
The source spoke to the aforementioned website about the exclusion of the former Indian captain from the IPL 2025 commentary panel, saying, “Otherwise (if not for the personal agendas), his (Irfan Pathan’s) name would have been there. It’s been happening for the last two years as he was carrying his personal agendas against certain players and that didn’t go down well with the system.”
Over the years, there have been a few big commentators, including names like Sanjay Manjrekar and Harsha Bhogle, who have lost their gigs in Indian cricket after complaints made about their way of doing things by players. In the aftermath of his expulsion, Sanjay Manjrekar had said on X, “I have always considered commentary as a great privilege, but never an entitlement. It is up to my employers whether they choose to have me or not & I will always respect that.”
“Maybe BCCI has not been happy with my performance of late. I accept that as a professional,” he added.
