former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has been excluded from the commentary panel for the highly anticipated IPL 2025. According to the latest reports, Pathan was snubbed from IPL 2025 commentary duties due to allegations of carrying a personal agenda against certain Indian players.
The 18th season of the Indian Premier League will begin on March 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the season opener. The marquee tournament will run for over two months, with the final at the same venue on May 25.
Irfan Pathan Accused of Personal Bias in Commentary
According to MyKhel, multiple players raised concerns over Irfan Pathan, accusing him of personal bias in commentary. The report further stated that one Indian team member was upset with Pathan’s remarks during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and even blocked him on his phone.
“A battery of cricketers complained about his commentary and said that he was bringing in his personal judgment. This didn’t go down well with the cricketers. One of the star players actually blocked him on his phone after hearing the way he was taking about the particular player during the Australian series,” sources told MyKhel.
Irfan is not the first commentator to be excluded from the BCCI’s official broadcaster panel. Earlier, Sanjay Manjrekar also faced similar consequences for his critical remarks about certain players.
The report added that Pathan’s behavior during interviews, both in international and IPL matches, was a concern for the BCCI. Pathan’s approach had not aligned with the board, leading to his omission from the IPL 2025 commentary panel.
“Otherwise, his 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 revealed.
After being left out of the IPL 2025 commentary panel, Irfan has shifted his focus to YouTube. He announced the launch of his new channel, Seedhi Baat with Irfan Pathan, on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). The cricketer-turned-commentator urged fans to support him.
“Sidhi baat karni hain? To phir aajao meri channel pe Insta, Facebook aur mera YouTube channel. YouTube channel pe main detail video banaoonga, sidhi baat karoonga aur sabse zyada aapko bhi maza aayega kyunki main aap logon ko bhi involve karoonga,” the former cricketer said.
Jo aap fans hain, fans ne zabardast pyaar diya hai, mujhe bahut saalon tak. Mere YouTube pe bhi bahut pyaar dijiye, channel ko meri subscribe kariye aur wahan pe sidhi baat kariye. To phir aaiye, sidhi baat kariye Irfan Pathan ke saath!” he added.
Irfan made his international debut as a 19-year-old during India’s 2003-04 tour of Australia. However, injuries and inconsistent form impacted his career. He won the Player of the Match award in the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan and the 2008 Perth Test victory over Australia.