Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan was a notable name missing from the star-stuffed commentary panel for the IPL 2025. The 18th season of the IPL began on March 22 with RCB defeating KKR in the tournament opener in Kolkata.
According to a source, Pathan has been shunned after receiving complaints from several Indian cricketers who believe his critical comments about them are personal. Broadcasters were not happy with Pathan bringing in personal grudges on air and even on his social media handle.
“Pathan had a fallout with a couple of players a few years ago. Since then, he has not shied away from referring to them aggressively. The matter was raised that other junior players got caught in the crossfire. He has been accused of taking potshots at them on social media platforms even if he didn’t name them,” sources close to the development told Times of India.
One player had even blocked Irfan Pathan’s number on his phone after being irritated by Pathan criticizing him for his performance on the Australia tour.
According to My Khel report, Pathan has previously shown a lot of attitude when interviewing particular players during international and IPL games, which did not sit well with the BCCI.
“Otherwise, his (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," a source was quoted.
Following his removal, Irfan Pathan took to social media to announce the launch of his YouTube channel. He introduced his new show, "Seedhi Baat with Irfan Pathan," where he promises to share his insights freely.
Pathan is not the only high-profile broadcaster to face disciplinary action following player complaints. Sanjay Manjrekar and Harsha Bhogale have previously lost commentary assignments due to complaints from Indian cricketers who were dissatisfied with their on-air views.
Manjrekar was reportedly removed from the BCCI commentary panel for India's ODI series against South Africa.
The decision was made following a series of contentious incidents in 2019, including a spat with fellow pundit Harsha Bhogle, a jab at Sourav Ganguly, and referring to allrounder Ravindra Jadeja as a "bits and pieces player".
Harsha Bhogle was abruptly pulled off the commentator panel just days before the IPL 2016 season began.
