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Not A Legend, But Hardik Pandya! Pathan Reveals Who Got Him Axed From IPL Commentary

Akshita Patel

Irfan Pathan opens up on exit from IPL commentary panel [Source: @RainaMahi73, @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]Irfan Pathan opens up on exit from IPL commentary panel [Source: @RainaMahi73, @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has finally spoken out on the row over his sudden withdrawal from the IPL 2025 commentary team. In a candid interview, Pathan revealed that it was Hardik Pandya who raised concerns about his on-air criticism.

Ever since Pathan was dropped from the IPL commentary panel by Star Sports, speculation suggested that senior names like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma might have influenced the decision, citing negative criticism over form.

Irfan Pathan Spills Real Story Behind His Commentary Saga

However, in a recent interview with Lallantop, Irfan Pathan cleared the air. He named Hardik Pandya as the one who raised a complaint against his choice of words. 

Pathan explained that his job required honest and constructive feedback and stressed that criticism doesn’t mean dislike or personal grudges. 

“If I’m criticising you in 7 matches out of 14, I’m still being lenient. That is our job as broadcaster. There is nothing wrong in criticising the player, if you play, you have to go through that. It happened with Sunil Gavaskar, the great Sachin Tendulkar.. they never made anyone feel, they were bigger than the game. But I’m against the derogatory words used against Pandya," Pathan said.

The former cricketer also cleared the air, saying there was no personal animosity between him and Pandya. In fact, Pathan reminded everyone of how much he has supported players from Baroda, including Hardik and Krunal Pandya.

“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. 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,” he added.

He also claimed that he stood by Hardik even during tough phases, especially when the all-rounder faced a backlash after replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain in IPL 2024.

Pathan Takes Sharp Dig At Virat Kohli

In the same interview, Irfan Pathan shared a candid opinion on Virat Kohli’s struggles with the bat in his later years of Test cricket. Pathan stressed that Kohli rightly deserved support when he first slipped in form around 2019-20, given his match-winning contributions in the past. 

"Virat Kohli had a slump in 2019-2020. You can see my social media of that time — I backed Kohli a lot. I feel that when a big player faces his first slump, he should be backed. He deserves it too, because he won many matches for the team. But if this slump lasts for five years, then it is not right. In the end, the team is the most important."

However, he added that extending the backing for over five years was detrimental to the team’s overall performance. While praising Kohli’s dominant run between 2016 and 2019, Pathan pointed out that the management failed to address his repeated dismissals outside off stump, which ultimately prolonged his decline and hurt India’s balance.