Here's is why Harsha Bhogle's IPL contract was terminated.
The cricket fans were delighted to have one of their favourite commentators, Ravi Shastri back with the mike in Indian Premier league (IPL), but a notable absence from the glass box was the charismatic Harsha Bhogle. The Indian Express has reported that Bhogle's contract for this season's IPL has been terminated.
Click here for full coverage of IPL 2016, including match preview, commentary, score updates and standings
Bhogle, who is a veteran of the commentary world, has been in the profession for last 30 years. He has also been enthralling the audience of world's most popular T20 league since its inception in 2008. However, just a week before the start of IPL 9, the Mumbaikar was informed about the termination of his contract.
This is shocking news for most people since Bhogle was part of the BCCI's plans for this year's IPL as he had conducted the Season 9 draft auction, featured in the league’s promotional videos, was in the commentators’ 51-day-long duty roster, and even had his flight booked by the production house. Though, Sony Network holds IPL’s telecast rights, it is the BCCI that controls the tournament’s production.
BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur and IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla refused to comment on Bhogle’s sudden ouster. But another source within the board informed, “When deciding the commentators, we take feedback from everyone. We monitor social media reactions on commentators, and also take inputs from players.”
Incidentally, Bhogle's had a heated exchange with a Vidharbha Cricket Association official during India's opening World T20. Other board members of the board also felt that this could be the reason for his last-minute ouster. However, the commentator informed that he didn't have any idea about the cancellation of his contract. “No one told me anything. I have not been formally told of the reason even now. All I have been told is ‘it is a BCCI management decision’,” said Bhogle,
There was another debate on Twitter when actor Amitabh Bachchan criticised Indian commentators for not talking highly about the Indian team. “With all due respect, it would be really worthy of an Indian commentator to speak more about our players than others all the time,” he had tweeted.
When his followers speculated about who he was referring to, Bachchan did not name the commentator. Later Bachchan tweeted that he wasn’t referring to Sunil Gavaskar or Sanjay Manjrekar.
Here's what social media thought of his ouster, many linking it to a tweet by Amitabh Bachchan:
“The assumption among some people was that he (Bachchan) was referring to me and while I don’t know if that is true, it did strike me that there seems to be a slight misconception about the role of a commentator in a telecast. I will try and clarify here,” Bhogle had reacted in a Facebook post.
“Star Sports 1 is the world feed. That is the telecast and commentary that goes to everyone around the world. That includes passionate fans in Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, England, the USA, everywhere. That broadcast must necessarily be an objective, balanced portrayal of events. Making that excessively India-centric means being unfair to other teams playing and to viewers from their countries who have the right to be as passionately involved as Indian supporters. And so, talking more about India, in a game like yesterday’s, would be letting down viewers in, say, Bangladesh,” he added.
Bhogle didn't want to talk about the Twitter war but gave an account about the Nagpur game where the Hindi and English commentary box was separated by the president’s (Shashank Manohar) enclosure. With the door of the VIP box shut, the bilingual commentators had to rush down several flights of stairs, and climb up again, after every stint. “Working on a tight deadline, because of running around, I was at times panting as I went on air. This was because of that shut door,” said Bhogle.
Board officials informed that Bhogle had an angry exchange with a cricket official at the venue as he wanted him to open the door, and this reached the Nagpur-based BCCI president Shashank Manohar. Those in the know said this incident was the trigger that resulted in Bhogle losing out. However Bhogle said, “Even if it was the Nagpur incident, no one heard my part of the story."
Later the voice of Indian cricket thanked his fans for the overwhelming support
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Harsha Bhogle")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}