When Irfan Pathan’s name was missing from the IPL 2025 commentary panel, rumors swirled that cricket stars—especially Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and maybe even Virat Kohli—played a role in his exclusion. It was widely speculated that Irfan’s on-air criticism of Hardik Pandya, after he replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain in IPL 2024, led to this outcome. But what’s the truth? Irfan Pathan himself has now set the record straight.

What Actually Happened?

• During IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya faced a lot of criticism as Mumbai Indians captain due to the team's poor performance.

• Irfan Pathan was among the commentators who analyzed and pointed out the team’s shortcomings, sometimes directly addressing Hardik’s captaincy.

• After Hardik led Team India to a T20 World Cup victory, and ahead of IPL 2025, Irfan was not selected for the commentary panel—fanning rumors that Hardik, and possibly others, wanted him sidelined.

What Did Irfan Pathan Say?

In a recent interview, Irfan Pathan responded to these speculations:

• No Personal Criticism of Hardik:
  "There are 14 matches in IPL. Even if I criticized in 7, I was lenient. Our job is to give honest analysis."

• No Rivalry:
  "There’s no rivalry or personal animosity between me and Hardik. I’ve always supported Baroda players—Hardik and Krunal included."

• On Professional Critique:
  "Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar—everyone gets criticized. But I opposed abusive language being used against Hardik. My role as a commentator is to the audience, not to the players."

• Support for Players:
  Irfan pointed out that he and his brother Yusuf have supported every Baroda cricketer, including when VVS Laxman later realized that if he had taken Irfan’s suggestions seriously in 2012, Hardik may have been playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.