The highly anticipated 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kickstart on March 31 with a clash between defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The re-introduction of the home-away format is likely to excite viewers, especially after the tournament was confined to a select set of venues in the last three seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With only a few days left for the tournament to begin, Star Sports, the official TV broadcaster for the tournament, has unveiled a star-studded list of commentators comprising revered former Indian and foreign cricketers.
The panel consists of names that have already offered their voice for the league as well as a slew of new names as well. Recently retired Aaron Finch, who is currently present as a broadcaster for the ongoing ODI series between India and Australia, will also be present for the upcoming mega tournament. Additionally, former IPL winner and South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis will also mark his off-field debut during the tournament.
Notable former international cricketers like Kevin Pietersen, Danny Morrison, David Hussey, Imran Tahir, and Matthew Hayden will be a part of the IPL's coverage. Meanwhile, former franchise coaches Tom Moody, Daniel Vettori, and Simon Katich will also mark their presence with their analysis, playing the part of the 12th man.
Among Indians, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar leads the list of names, joined by the likes of Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, and Harbhajan Singh as well as former Team India captain Mithali Raj.
While Irfan Pathan will continue to make his broadcasting presence, he is set to be joined by his brother Yusuf Pathan for the first time. The former all-rounder was part of the illustrious Rajasthan Royals (RR) that won the first-ever IPL as well as the Indian side that lifted the T20 World Cup in 2007.
Another former Indian player who will be making a debut on the panel is Murali Vijay, and he will be joined by the likes of S Sreesanth, Laxmipathy Balaji, and Subramaniam Badrinath.
Veteran candidates namely Kris Srikanth and Sandeep Patil are also part of the panel, infusing life with their energy and offering thoughts from a different perspective as well.
IPL 2023 full list of commentators
English: Sunil Gavaskar, Jacques Kallis, Matthew Hayden, Kevin Pietersen, Aaron Finch, Tom Moody, Paul Collingwood, Daniel Vettori, Daniel Morrison, and David Hussey.
Hindi: Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Mithali Raj, Mohd Kaif, Sanjay Manjrekar, Imran Tahir, Deep Dasgupta, Ajay Mehra, Padamjeet Sehrawat & Jatin Sapru, K Srikkanth, S Badrinath, Lakshmipathi Balaji, S Ramesh, and Murali Vijay.
Telugu: Venugopal Rao, Ashish Reddy, MSK Prasad, Kalyan Krishna, and T Suman;
Kannada: Vijay Bharadwaj, Srinivasa Murthy (Jaani), GK Anil Kumar, Balachandra Akhil, Bharat Chipli, Pavan Deshpande, and Gundappa Vishwanath.
Former domestic stalwart Amol Muzumdar headlines the Marathi commentary team, while the Malayalam and Bengali feed feature former Indian cricketers Tinu Yohanan and Ashoke Dinda, respectively.
Who will win the 2023 IPL? Let us know what you think.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️