The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have sent a mail to renowned commentators, seeking their availability for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), set to be staged in UAE from September 19.
BCCI sent emails to Sunil Gavaskar, Harsha Bhogle, Murali Kartik and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan for commentary duty, as per a report in Mumbai Mirror.
However, no such mail has been sent to the premier commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, who even offered a public apology to BCCI and vowed to abide by the guidelines.
Manjrekar was sacked earlier this year for unknown reasons. It is widely speculated that the commentator was discharged following an infamous feud with Ravindra Jadeja in ICC World Cup 2019.
And in November, he even questioned his colleague Harsha Bhogle’s credibility on-screen in a Test match against South Africa.
In an apology letter issued to BCCI, Manjrekar explained his stance and wrote that he carries no malice and animosity for any players.
“Anyone who has followed my career as a commentator would know that I have no malicious agenda against anyone and that my opinions come from a very pure place that I hold sacred. It’s cricket we are talking about, a sport that’s given me and my father so much,” wrote Manjrekar.
“My comments and opinions could be wrong, but they are never personal, derogatory or borne out of prejudice or cunning design, I am only biased towards excellence in performances, whether it’s a team or a player,” he added further.
Meanwhile, the apex cricketing body discouraged those who are above the age of 60 years to participate in the tournament as they are highly vulnerable to the coronavirus.
“Individuals who are over the age of 60 years, viz. support staff, umpires, ground staff, and those individuals with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, weakened immunity, etc. should be considered vulnerable and are believed to have a higher risk of severe Covid-19,” BCCI mentioned in its SOPs released on Sunday.
