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Irfan Pathan, the former Indian pacer, has been excluded from the IPL 2025 commentary panel following allegations of bias and personal grievances against certain players. This decision has sparked widespread discussions among fans and cricket analysts.
Complaints against Irfan Pathan from Indian cricketers
As reported by MyKhel, Pathan’s exclusion stems from complaints by several current Indian cricketers who felt his commentary had become increasingly personal and critical rather than objective. Players reportedly expressed discomfort over remarks perceived as attacks on their performance. In one notable instance, a player allegedly blocked Pathan’s number after being upset by his comments during the recent Australia series.
The report also suggest that Pathan showed a lot of attitude while interviewing certain players during international and IPL games in the past and that didn’t go down well with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “Otherwise, 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 a saying to MyKhel.
Concerns over Pathan’s social media activity
Broadcasters were reportedly dissatisfied with Pathan’s social media activity, where he made pointed remarks about specific players. These actions raised concerns about junior players being inadvertently caught in the crossfire of his criticisms, influencing the decision to drop him from this season’s commentary lineup.
“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 platform even if he didn’t name them,” sources close to the development were quoted saying to the Times of India.
In the meantime, Pathan has launched his YouTube channel with the name “Seedhi Baat with Irfan Pathan.”
Also READ: All you need to know about Irfan Pathan’s wife Safa Baig
Similar incidents in the past
Pathan is not the first commentator to face such repercussions. Prominent figures like Sanjay Manjrekar and Harsha Bhogle have also faced backlash for their commentary styles. Manjrekar was removed from the BCCI’s commentary panel in 2020 due to controversial remarks about players, while Bhogle was unexpectedly dropped from the IPL commentary team in 2016 without clear reasons.
Also READ: From Mayanti Langer to Sahiba Bali – Full list of anchors and presenters for IPL 2025
