Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan is not part of the commentary panel of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.
According to Indian media reports, Irfan has not been included in the commentary panel of the IPL 2025.
After retirement, Irfan has been a regular member of the IPL commentary panel and has become one of the most popular voices in the game.
But Irfan Pathan was nowhere to be seen during the opening match of the IPL 2025 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday.
According to a report in the Times of India, Irfan was removed from the commentary panel because the broadcasters were not happy with the former Indian all-rounders bringing personal grudges to the commentary and on social media.
The report said that Irfan Pathan had a disagreement with some players a few years ago. Since then, he has been mentioning these cricketers without naming them, be it in commentary or on social media.
According to Indian media, Irfan Pathan was accused of mocking the players and this was the reason for his not being included in the commentary panel.
Irfan is not the first cricketer to be removed from commentary duties.
Earlier in 2016, renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle was also not included in the IPL commentary panel.
Harsha Bhogle had posted on social media that I still don’t know why I am not commentating in the IPL, I can accept that people don’t like me but I really hope that the reason is not because the cricketers complain about my opinions.
