Mumbai: Harsha Bhogle’s voice is synonymous with cricket in India but those following Indian Premier League will no longer get to hear his trademark commentary, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to relieve him from his duties from the tournament’s ninth edition.
According to report in 'The Indian Express', the 54-year-old, who has been cricket’s voice since the 1980s and has been bringing fans all the live action of IPL since its inception in 2008, was informed about the termination of his contract only last week by the BCCI.
Bhogle was taken by surprise himself at the board’s decision as he had been featured in the promotional videos of the latest season and even had his flight tickets booked for his commentary schedule.
Read: Harsha Bhogle reacts after Amitabh, Dhoni question commentary
Expressing disappointment at being shown the door, he tweeted:
Would have been nice to be part of @IPL again. Was in fact looking forward to it. Favourite tournament. Hope #IPL9 is a blockbuster.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 9, 2016
.@hemantbuch All well, thanks. Don't know why. Had a roster too. @IPL
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 9, 2016
According to the report, Bhogle’s ouster was decided after taking feedback from players and social media.
Video: Shikhar Dhawan trolls Harsha Bhogle
“When deciding the commentators, we take feedback from everyone. We monitor social media reactions on commentators, and also take inputs from players,” a senior BCCI official was quoted in the report on condition of anonymity.
Nothing to add https://t.co/8rBel3vw4o
— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) March 23, 2016
Read: Ravi Ashwin spoils Harsha Bhogle’s fun
Bhogle, meanwhile, made it clear that his exit was not because of the rivalry between channels.
@kartikthapar01 @IPL nothing to do with that
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 9, 2016
Fans of Bhogle's commentary threw their weight behind him saying:
Whether it is Big B or MSD's tweet.
— Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) April 10, 2016
Or, some officious official.
Harsha Bhogle is an ace commentator and a good man.
His ouster is pure EGO.
IPL should get back Harsha Bhogle into the commentary box & drop Sidhu instead.
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) April 10, 2016
Value will go up, and more importantly, volume will go down.
@bhogleharsha This is absolute injustice Harsha.No English commentary of yours in #IPL2016 ?
— Anusha Vaidya (@vaidya_anusha) April 9, 2016
@bhogleharsha @IPL - commentary without Harsha is like a pizza without exotic toppings.. Miss the attention to detail.
— Ankit Madhwani (@caankitmadhwani) April 9, 2016
@bhogleharsha you should be a part of IPL ! Period ! Respect!
— Ankush Sambhoo (@asambhoo) April 9, 2016
@bhogleharsha @mipaltan in a way glad u r not a part of ipl this year... We'l get more of u here...and be rest assured we'l keep u occupied
— Sachin Saraf (@sachin434) April 9, 2016
While there is no clarity on the issue, it is learnt that a heated exchange with a Vidarbha Cricket Association official during the India-New Zealand match in ICC World Twenty20 may have led to Bhogle's ouster from the commentary team for IPL.
