Irfan Pathan reveals name behind his IPL 2025 commentary exit – Geo Super

MUMBAI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan on Saturday opened up about the controversy surrounding his sudden withdrawal from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 commentary panel, revealing that Hardik Pandya had raised objections to his on air criticism.
In a candid interview on YouTube, Pathan confirmed that it was Pandya who complained about his choice of words during match analysis. 
“If I criticise you in seven matches out of 14, I’m still being lenient. That is our job as broadcasters. There is nothing wrong in criticising a player. If you play, you have to go through that,” Pathan said.
However, the former cricketer clarified that his role as a broadcaster required him to provide honest and constructive feedback and that criticism should never be mistaken for personal dislike.
“It happened with Sunil Gavaskar, with Sachin Tendulkar, legends never made anyone feel they were bigger than the game. But I am against the use of derogatory words against Pandya,” he added.
Pathan stressed there was no personal rivalry with Pandya and highlighted his long standing support for Baroda cricketers, including Hardik and Krunal Pandya. 
“All the Baroda players who came after me, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, none of them can say that Irfan and 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, Hardik would have played for Hyderabad then,” Pathan recalled.
He also pointed out that he stood firmly by Pandya during difficult times, particularly when the all-rounder faced heavy criticism after replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain in IPL 2024.
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