The fans who were hoping to see Harsha Bhogle back in the commentary box are in for a disappointment as the ‘voice of Indian cricket’ has not been named in the commentary panel that has been named for the upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Earlier, there were reports that Bhogle might return to the commentary panel after the Committee of Administrators (COA) took over the workings of BCCI but he has not been selected int he list.
Bhogle, a permanent member of the commentary panel for the matches that involved the Indian team came under scanner when he was blamed for not speaking in favour of the Indian team. The news was highlighted by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan who blamed an Indian commentator of favouring foreign players rather than Indian players. The rumours suggest that he was pointing his finger towards Harsha Bhogle.
MS Dhoni added to the matter when he tweeted in support of Bachchan after the T20 game against Bangladesh during T20 World Cup. Bhogle was soon dropped from the commentary panel of IPL which also came to him as a surprise.
There were hopes that Bhogle might return to the commentary box soon but now has not been included in the list of commentators named for the Indan Premier League.
There a total of 20 commentators named in the list which also includes a total of four women commentators. The other notable names in the list are Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Manjrekar, Sunil Gavaskar and Anjum Chopra.
Kevin Pietersen, who pulled out from the league citing busy schedule, will be commentating in the tournament as well.
The tenth edition of IPL starts from April 5 with the first game to be played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challenger Bangalore in Hyderabad.