The BCCI is the most powerful cricketing board in world cricket. It brings in the highest amount of revenue amongst all cricketing nations. The top brass at the BCCI run a tight ship; its common knowledge in the Indian cricketing world that you do not cross the BCCI as it will always come back to bite you!
This principle is especially true for just about everyone who comes under the BCCI and this includes domestic players, international players, ex-players, administrators and the commentary team as well!
BCCI Omits Sanjay Manjrekar
When Ravi Shastri moved out of the commentary box to take up the role as team director and then later head coach of the Indian cricket team, a lot of his responsibilities fell on former player Sanjay Manjrekar. He took up those responsibilities and did a good job for a number of years and was rated as a good commentator by most Indian fans.
However the veteran commentator got himself into a tangle in 2019 after he started criticizing a couple of Indian players and then made a mess of things after getting into a social media feud with Ravindra Jadeja. Those incidents caused some of the Indian fans to lash out at Manjrekar for being biased.
Sanjay Manjrekar defended himself and went on to sort out his differences on social media with Jadeja. However, it appears that those incidents have upset the top brass at the BCCI who are known for giving the commentary panel a set of instructions to follow at all times.
Manjrekar’s comments have not gone down well with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and his team. As a result, the BCCI has decided to drop Manjrekar from the commentary panel. They have not given him any explanation for being dropped; it appears that he will also not be part of the 2020 IPL commentary team should the IPL take place!
Why Was Manjrekar Dropped?
The BCCI has not provided a reason for dropping Manjrekar; die-hard cricketing fans in India will be aware of his ‘bits and pieces’ comment against Ravindra Jadeja. He also went after fellow commentator Harsha Bhogle during the first day-night test against Bangladesh in November 2019.
Manjrekar had said that a commentator needed to have a minimum of 10 to 15 years of experience; this in reference to commenting on what the pink ball would do under lights. Bhogle does not have the experience; the remark not only threw shade at Bhogle but also placed the BCCI in a bad light.
The BCCI does not take kindly to criticism or any of its paid employees getting too big for their boots. It appears that Manjrekar forgot this cardinal rule and is now paying the price.
Manjrekar Will Lose Millions
Manjrekar was one of the highest paid commentators in India allegedly earning 42 lakh rupees per series. Moreover, his gross income per year from the BCCI including his IPL commentary stint is rumoured to be over 6 crore.
Manjrekar took his omission in his stride and did not lash out at the BCCI. He said it appeared that his employers were not happy with his performance in recent times and accepted their decision.
The BCCI also dropped Harsha Bhogle in 2016 when he directed criticism at a few players including MS Dhoni. He was left out for a period of 2 years and was brought back in 2018. Manjrekar might also have to be out in the cold for a few years for not following BCCI protocol!
