Cricket: Irfan Pathan's sacking reflects BCCI's intolerance for 'contrary' opinions

The ongoing 2025 season of the IPL has thrown up quite a few surprises, not only in the field but also in the commentators’ box. For the first time, we are seeing experienced cricket commentators becoming involved in controversies. One such incident was the fiasco involving former cricketer Irfan Pathan, who was dropped from the commentary team for allegedly airing personal grudges on the air.

Reportedly, Pathan had a fallout with some senior players a few years ago. The players complained to the BCCI that Irfan was showing his prejudice against them while doing his commentary. Several powerful people in the BCCI then decided that Irfan must go and prevailed upon JioStar to exclude Irfan from the commentary team.

Irfan is not the first high-profile player to be stripped of the commentary duties. In 2020, former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar was removed from the commentary panel by BCCI for India’s ODI series against South Africa for his remarks about Ravindra Jadeja. Similarly, in 2016, veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle was not included in the commentary panel for the IPL.

Channel became quickly popular

However, Irfan Pathan has hit the broadcasters for a six in a way that nobody had anticipated. Almost as soon as he was evicted from the commentary team, he started his own YouTube channel, which quickly gained huge popularity. The fact that he amassed 3.5 lakh subscribers in a very short period shows that his views are pertinent and appreciated by cricket fans.

Now, left to himself, Irfan has been voicing his opinion about the IPL matches and the players without any fear. On YouTube as well as on Twitter (X), he has pointed out some glaring shortcomings in the teams. For example, the match between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings recently saw abysmal fielding standards, particularly from the CSK.

While some of the official commentators tried to defend and explain the shoddy fielding standard of the Chennai team, Irfan had no hesitation in lashing out at the poor show. Sarcastically, he commented: “Itna to Legends League meiN bhi nahi chhorte.” He meant that even the veteran players who take part in the Legends League matches do not drop as many catches as these young and highly paid IPL cricketers do.

Sidhu and others offer support

Several people have opined that Irfan Pathan was victimised by the BCCI and the IPL broadcaster. Ex-cricketer Navjot Singh Sindhu, who continues to be a member of the commentary team, said that he badly misses the analytical skill of Pathan in the commentary box.

Veteran Bollywood actor Gajraj Rao, who is an avid cricket fan, also came out in support of Irfan Pathan. “I was a fan of Irfan the cricketer, but now I am a fan of Irfan the commentator. Best of luck to him,” the actor commented.

Former player’s view

On social media, former first-class cricketer Vibhav Singh wrote that the sacking of Irfan Pathan follows a broad trend that we are seeing nowadays.

He wrote: “We are living in a country where constructive criticism is not welcomed. The moment you speak truthfully or analytically, a counter-narrative starts building up against you. That’s the unfortunate reality, and it’s time we start calling it out. When genuine voices like that of Irfan Bhai are thrown out for being honest, what are we encouraging? Flattery? Favoritism?”

“All he did was speak with a professional lens, which is something that cricket desperately needs in today’s narrative-driven era. He has always brought insightful, technical, and passionate takes to the table, which is a rare quality among commentators today. Being a cricket professional myself, it’s painful to listen to commentary that adds no value to the game. Commentary is about analysis, understanding, and connecting the game to its viewers, not just glorifying players or playing it safe.”

These words of a former player sum up the situation that exists in the cricket environment. Only ‘yes men’ are accommodated while those who voice a different opinion are ejected immediately. It is time for the game’s administrators to realise that evolution can occur only if opinions of all hues are given a space. They must leave it to the fans to judge the merits and demerits of the commentators and their analysis.

Get the latest updates in , , , , and on & by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for and .