All hell broke loose on social media Sunday after news came in that the BCCI announced termination of their contract with popular cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. A day later, the cricket expert still remains unaware of the motive behind his ouster from the Indian Premier League.
Bhogle, 54, who has been commentating during cricket matches since the mid-1980s, was a prominent figure during the Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 this year. His not being a part of the IPL 2016 has thus left cricket fans completely flabbergasted. Making matters worse, BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur and IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla have also reserved their comments on the incident.
"It is a BCCI management decision," said Bhogle, as he was informed of the termination of his IPL contract just less than a week before the start of the tournament. What adds to the shock is the fact that the veteran voice of cricket was present during the IPL 2016 player auction as well as the cash-rich tournament's promotional videos.
Bhogle's ouster from the IPL could be fuelled by Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan's infamous tweet on a certain 'Indian commentator' during the World T20 or the cricket expert's alleged scuffle with a Vidarbha Cricket Association official during the ICC-organised tournament. However, the official verdict behind the reason for the decision has still not come out.
A Times of India report meanwhile has suggested that the current India team players could have contributed a big role in Bhogle's IPL ouster. "The previous generation — when you had the likes of Sourav (Ganguly), VVS (Laxman), Rahul (Dravid) and Sachin (Tendulkar) around — was too classy and too big in stature to get involved in such petty instances," Bhogle told the publication, before adding he was still unaware why his contract was terminated.
MS Dhoni seconded Bachchan's tweet, indirectly referring to Bhogle and it is believed that the entire India cricket team shared the sentiments. Bhogle brought out his version of the statement in a detailed facebook post but Bachchan or Dhoni or even the BCCI kept mum.
Whatever be, if the BCCI go by the reaction of the fans on social media, they will realise how their decision to part ways with Bhogle has backfired. The calls for having the veteran voice of cricket back in IPL 2016 and dropping Navjot Singh Sidhu from the commentary lineup has reached a crescendo.
The positive thing for the BCCI, however, is there is still time for them to change their mind. IPL 2016 has just begun and has a long way to go. As for Harsha Bhogle, he can only thank his supporters in the social media for showing support. Also, he is not backing down from posting tweets during every single IPL 2016 match. Down, but not out!
