5 active cricketers who will work as commentators in IPL 2023
IPL 2023 broadcasters Star Sports and Jio Cinema have announced star-studded commentary panels for the upcoming mega event. Both broadcasters have decided to add new languages for commentary and attract more viewers to their networks.
Since both broadcasters decided to form their own commentary teams, there was a massive demand for commentators from across India and different parts of the world.
A majority of the names present on the panels are either retired cricketers, radio jockeys or professional sports presenters. However, there are a few active cricketers who will be seen behind the mic in the upcoming season of the cash-rich league.
On that note, let's take a look at five active cricketers who have decided to work as commentators in the IPL 2023 season.
#1 Dhawal Kulkarni will work as a commentator in IPL 2023
Dhawal Kulkarni worked as a Hindi commentator for Star Sports in IPL 2022. He has switched to the Jio Cinema Marathi commentary team for IPL 2023.
Kulkarni registered himself for the player auction in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but none of the teams showed interest in his services.
However, few reports have claimed that Mumbai Indians have approached him as a replacement signing, but his name is still present on the list of Marathi commentators for the upcoming season.
#2 Steve Smith will make his IPL commentary debut this year
Australian Test and ODI vice-captain Steve Smith did not register himself for the IPL 2023 auction. He remained unsold at the mega auction last year as well, and his last IPL appearance came in 2021 for the Delhi Capitals.
Smith has decided to join the English commentary team for the upcoming season. This will be the first time the star Australian batter will work as a commentator in the IPL.
#3 Kedar Jadhav will work as a commentator in IPL 2023
All-rounder Kedar Jadhav was a member of the Indian squad that participated in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
He produced some fantastic performances for India in ODI cricket but was dropped in 2020. Jadhav has also failed to earn an IPL contract after the 2021 season.
Kedar Jadhav will be a part of the Marathi commentary panel for Jio Cinema this year. It will be exciting to see how he performs in his new role.
#4 Hanuma Vihari will work as a commentator in IPL 2023
Hanuma Vihari was a regular member of the Indian Test squad until last year. He has been among the top performers in domestic cricket for Andhra, but the IPL teams have not shown any interest in his services over the last two years.
Vihari has decided to work as a Telugu commentator for Jio Cinema this year. Former SRH players Akshath Reddy and Dwaraka Ravi Teja are also part of the Telugu panel.
#5 KB Arun Karthik will work as a commentator in IPL 2023
KB Arun Karthik - AGE 35 🦁
Perfect CSK material. https://t.co/nDlprkVMES
KB Arun Karthik has been a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the past. Karthik currently plays for Puducherry team in domestic cricket.
He had a great Ranji Trophy season in 2022/23, where he scored 684 runs at an average of 68.4. The wicketkeeper-batter will work as a Tamil commentator for Jio Cinema.