Irfan Pathan Excluded from IPL 2025 Commentary Panel Due to Personal Disputes
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan will not be part of the commentary panel for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), marking his absence from the IPL broadcast this season. According to reports from Indian media, Irfan was not included in the commentary panel for IPL 2025.
Post-retirement, Irfan had become a regular voice in IPL broadcasts, establishing himself as one of the most prominent figures in sports commentary. However, during the opening match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore this year, Irfan was noticeably absent from the commentary box.
According to *Times of India*, Irfan Pathan’s exclusion from the panel is linked to his history of personal disputes with several players. The broadcasters were reportedly unhappy with Irfan’s tendency to indirectly reference these players in his commentary and on social media. The report claims that Irfan had a fallout with a few players some years ago, and since then, he had often made subtle remarks about them without naming them directly.
Irfan has been accused of making sarcastic comments about certain cricketers, which led to his exclusion from the commentary panel.
Irfan is not the first cricketer to be removed from commentary duties. In 2020, former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar was dropped from the panel during the ODI World Cup after controversial comments regarding Ravindra Jadeja. Similarly, in 2016, renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle was also excluded from the IPL commentary panel. Harsha Bhogle had expressed his confusion over the matter on social media, stating that he could accept not being liked, but hoped his exclusion wasn’t due to complaints from players about his opinions.
