The stage is set for the Harsha Bhogle's comeback in IPL 10

Popular commentator Harsha Bhogle is all set to return to the commentary panel for the upcoming IPL after the broadcasters of the tournament relived their intentions of having him for the T20 extravaganza. Bhogle was removed from the commentary mid-way through IPL 2016 after a stand-off with the former BCCI administration. It was a tough few months for Bhogle who worked as an analyst of a popular sports website during that period.

It all started during the World Twenty 20 in India last year when Bhogle was accused of praising the opposition’s more than the home team and undermining the achievements of the Indian players. One of the biggest actors in the country, Amitabh Bachchan took to his twitter handle to express his disappointment on this matter. “With all due respects, it would be really worthy of an Indian commentator to speak more about our players than others all the time,” Big B tweeted.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni who was India’s captain at that time agreeing to the views of Bachchan wrote, “Nothing to add,”.Harsha Bhogle took it by the scruff of his neck and replied in one of the most polite manners. Taking to his facebook handle, Bhogle wrote, “I must confess to being a bit taken aback by the intensity of the criticism yesterday over the question of focussing more on Indian players during the telecast. It emerged after a tweet from Mr Amitabh Bachchan, someone I admire enormously for the dignified way in which he has always conducted himself. The assumption among some people was that he was referring to me and while I don’t know if that is true, it did strike me that there seems a slight misconception about the role of a commentator in a telecast. I will try and clarify here.

I have, incidentally, sent Mr Bachchan a DM on twitter offering an explanation (in passing, the fact that he follows me gives me a great buzz!.” In the note, he clarified that a commentator must always be neutral as the match is not only viewed by the Indian spectators but across the globe. Despite Bhogle’s clarification, the star commentator remained in oblivion for the next several months and will look for a comeback in the upcoming T20 extravaganza.

Prasanna Krishnan, the EVP and business head of sports cluster Sony Pictures Networks India cleared their intention that Bhogle might be brought back in the upcoming IPL. “It’s our intention to get him back in the studio. However we have some paperwork formalities left but in all likelihood, we may see him doing commentary in the upcoming IPL,” he said during an event in Kolkata.

Krishnan also added that they would be organising promotional activities all around the country with the Fan Park across 35 different cities around the nation. “Our idea is to bring in human element into every match. Every fan will have a story to tell which would be unique than the stats.”