The Indian media has removed the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 commentary panel after a series of complaints by the players about their commentary style, the Indian cricketer IRFAN Pathan has been removed, the Indian media said citing sources.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allegedly decided after increasing dissatisfaction with several cricketers, who accused Pathan of biased analysis and allowed personal opinion to influence his comment.
“This has been happening for the last two years, where his personal prejudices were becoming clear,” said a source close to the case.
The players expressed concern that Pathan was highly important for some individuals, with stress during the border Gavaskar Trophy to emphasize his comment on Virat Kohli and during the criticism of Hardik Pandya in domestic cricket.
An anonymous player also blocked the number of Pathans, highlighting the cracks to the depth. Additional complaints cited an alleged individual agenda during the interview and an alleged individual agenda in his comment.
Pathan’s exclusion watched the opening match of IPL 2025 at the Eden Garden between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore on 22 March.
BCCI’s move reflects previous controversies in Indian cricket broadcasting. In 2020, Sanjay Manjrekar was removed from the commentary team after on-air controversies with players and colleagues.
The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season began on 22 March with a match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens.
However, the spotlight soon moved from the pitch to the commentary box, with former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan missing from the official commentary panel of BCCI.
A regular sound in previous sessions, Pathans were particularly absent this year. Reports suggest that their remarks about their remarks between many players, their expulsion stems from dissatisfaction. The allegations of prejudice and highly important analysis were at the center of the issue, with some cricketers feel that Pathan’s personal opinion was crawling in his professional comment.
An important moment of tension was Pathan’s comment on Virat Kohli during the Seema-Gavaskar Trophy, which allegedly harassed the star batsman. Hardik Pandya’s criticism of domestic cricket also increases dissatisfaction.
Sources revealed that an anonymous player went to block Pathan’s number. A source said, “This has been happening for the last two years, where his personal prejudices were becoming clear.”
Some players also accused Pathan of adopting a kind of voices during the interview. Along with increasing complaints, the BCCI allegedly decided that it could no longer ignore the issue, eventually leading to their exclusion from the panel.
