The IPL has seen some of the best voices behind the microphone who lend their expert opinions to enrich the game
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is, without doubt, the biggest T20 league in the world. Fans lap up the tournament, and for 2 months in the Indian summer, the players come out and provide adrenaline-pumping action on the field for the viewers.
The IPL has also seen some of the best voices behind the microphone who lend their expert opinions to enrich the game for the fans. Many of these commentators are former cricketers themselves, and their take on the game provides fans with a wholesome experience.
The 15th edition of the IPL will begin on 26th March 2022. In this article, let us take a look at the top 10 best IPL commentators of all time.
10. Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar has been a known voice for cricket fans for over two decades. A former cricketer himself, Manjrekar is well versed with the nuances of the game and lends his thoughts on a regular basis behind the microphone in the IPL.
Manjrekar is a commentator who gives the viewers a peep into the technical aspects of the game and has been associated with the IPL for over a decade. Manjrekar brings with him this knowledge as he is a former cricketer himself. The right-handed batter has played 37 Tests and 74 ODI matches for the Indian side.
He has scored over 4000 runs in international cricket and has scored 5 centuries and 24 half-centuries for the Indian side in his international career as well.
9. Lisa Sthalekar
The only female commentator who features in this list is Lisa Sthalekar. Sthalekar has emerged as a prominent commentator in the recent past, and her views behind the microphone are received well by the cricketing world. She is now a regular part of the IPL commentary team.
Sthalekar is also a former cricketer and has represented Australia in 8 Tests, 125 ODI matches, and 54 T20I games. She has scalped a total of 229 wickets in her international career and has also taken 2 five-wicket hauls.
Since her retirement, she has transitioned to the world of commentary, and her stature is only growing with every passing year.
8. Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra lends his voice behind the microphone in the IPL both in the English as well as the Hindi languages. Chopra is erudite in his speaking, and since he has played the game at the highest level, he is someone who can offer a ‘cricketers’ perspective of things.
Chopra represented the Indian side in 10 Tests and scored 437 runs with the willow at an average of 23.0. The 44-year-old has also featured in the IPL as well and played 7 matches.
Chopra also has his own YouTube channel where he posts regular videos about the latest happenings of the IPL. His YouTube channel has a subscriber base of 3.2 Million.
7. Pommie Mbangwa
Pommie Mbangwa is a commentator who lends his voice on the game with a lot of passion and is one of the most loved commentators in the cricketing world today.
Mbangwa has been associated with the IPL for over a decade. Mbangwa is also a former cricketer, who played for the Zimbabwe cricket team during the 1990s and the early 2000s. He represented the Zimbabwe side in 15 Tests and 29 ODIs.
While he scalped 32 wickets in Test match cricket, Mbangwa took 11 wickets in the ODI format of the game. Mbangwa's lively take on the game has entertained the fans of the IPL.
6. Michael Slater
Another cricketer who transitioned into the world of commentary after retirement is Michael Slater. Slater is a commentator who can give life to the moments on the field, and since he was a former cricketer himself, can explain to the viewers the various nuances of the game as well as the mindset of the cricketers in various situations of an IPL game.
Slater represented the Australian side in 74 Tests and 42 ODIs. While he scored 5312 runs with the bat in Tests, the 52-year-old plundered 987 runs in ODI cricket.
Slater has been associated with the IPL since 2018 and has entertained the fans with his vibrant brand of commentary.
5. Danny Morrison
He is the only New Zealand commentator to feature in the list. Danny Morrison's commentary is perfectly suited for the IPL. Morrison's commentary is colorful and he adds a sense of excitement with the way he describes the events on the field.
Like the other commentators in the list, Morrison is also a former cricketer. The right-arm pacer played 48 Tests and 96 ODI matches for the Kiwis. Morrison scalped a total of 286 wickets in his international career.
After his cricketing days, Morrison has gained huge popularity as a commentator, and his association with the IPL has only added to his stature.
4. Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar occupies the 4th spot in this list. Gavaskar is a seasoned commentator, with over 3 decades of experience behind the microphone.
Gavaskar is a colossus of the game and has been an integral part of the IPL commentary team since the inaugural season in 2008. Gavaskar is considered as one of the greatest batters that the game of cricket has seen.
In a stellar international career that spanned 16 years, Gavaskar plundered 10122 runs in Tests and scored over 3000 runs in ODI cricket as well. He scored a total of 35 centuries in his international career. Even at the age of 72, Gavaskar has the passion to offer his thoughts on the game he loves so much.
3. Ravi Shastri
“ That's gone like a ‘tracer bullet’ to the boundary”. Ravi Shastri's booming voice behind the microphone has been a source of joy to fans around the world. Shastri has been associated with the IPL commentary team since 2008, but then had to move out of commentary since IPL 2017 as he was appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.
Shastri was the mainstay of the Indian side during his playing days in the 1980s. The 59-year-old represented the Indian side in 80 Tests and 150 ODI matches. Shastri scalped 280 wickets in his international career, and also took 3 five-wicket hauls as well.
The right-hander also plundered over 6500 runs in his international career with the bat in hand. Shastri's voice has made him a massive hit among the fans of the game.
2. Ian Bishop
Another respected commentator who has been an integral part of the IPL commentary panel is Ian Bishop. He is also the only West Indian to feature in this elite list. He has been associated with the Indian T20 League since the inaugural edition in 2008.
The West Indian cricket legend has played 43 Tests and 84 ODI matches in his international career. The right arm pace bowler was a pivotal part of the West Indies side in the 1990s. Bishop scalped 279 wickets in his international career, including 8 five-wicket hauls.
The 54-year-old has since then delighted the cricketing public with his astute analysis of the game and is a voice who is loved by the fans of the IPL.
1. Harsha Bhogle
There is never a dull moment when Harsha Bhogle is behind the microphone. Bhogle is one of the most respected commentators that the game of cricket has ever seen.
He is known for his quick wit and is often regarded as the voice of Indian commentary. Harsha Bhogle does not have any experience of playing at the international level but is a man whose opinions carry a lot of weight and regard.
He is in fact, the only commentator to have not played international cricket to feature in this list. Bhogle has been the mainstay of the IPL since 2008, and this legendary commentator features at the №1 spot in this list.
