Why Irfan Pathan Was Sacked From IPL Commentary? Reason Is Due To THIS Mumbai Indians Star

Ahead of IPL 2025, there was widespread buzz that Irfan Pathan had been sidelined from the tournament's broadcast panel due to his outspoken criticism of big names like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

However, the former India all-rounder has now clarified that neither Kohli nor Rohit had any issue with his remarks. Instead, it was Mumbai Indians' skipper Hardik Pandya who reportedly felt targeted.

Speaking in an interview with The Lallantop, Irfan opened up about the matter, explaining that as a commentator he was simply doing his job. "If I'm criticising you in 7 matches out of 14, I'm still being lenient. That is our job as broadcaster," he said, stressing that his feedback was never personal.

Irfan went on to dismiss any suggestion of rivalry with Pandya or other Baroda cricketers, pointing out his history of support for them. "There is no rivalry. All the Baroda players who have come after me - Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya or Hardik Pandya - none of them can say that Irfan-Yusuf did not help them."

To underline his support for Hardik, Irfan recalled a lesser-known story from 2012. He revealed that he had recommended the young all-rounder to Sunrisers Hyderabad but the franchise did not take his advice at the time. "VVS Laxman admitted on Star Sports, that he was at fault for not listening to me, and not picking Hardik in 2012. If he had picked him then, Hardik would have played for Hyderabad," Pathan said.

Interestingly, Irfan also pointed out that he had spoken in Hardik's defence during controversial times. He recalled the backlash Pandya received from fans after Rohit Sharma was removed from Mumbai Indians' captaincy before IPL 2024. "I took a stand then and said nothing bad should be said about the player," he noted.

While Pathan made it clear that criticism is part of every cricketer's journey - even greats like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar faced it - he emphasised his objection to abusive remarks. "There is nothing wrong in criticising the player... But I'm against the derogatory words used against Pandya."