'There may not have been enough clarity last time' - Sanjay Manjrekar requests BCCI to reinstate him as commentator
Former Indian batsman turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has requested the BCCI to include him in the commentary panel for the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is set to be held from September 19 to November 8 in the UAE.
Sanjay Manjrekar was sacked by the BCCI from the commentary panel just before the start of the ODI series between India and South Africa in March earlier this year. Reports say that Sanjay Manjrekar was removed from the BCCI commentary panel after some players from the Indian cricket team complained to the board about his 'bits and pieces' comment on Ravindra Jadeja.
However, in his mail to the Apex Council members of the BCCI, Sanjay Manjrekar has ensured that he would abide by the rules and regulations and will not pass any comment that would hurt the sentiments of any player concerned.
"Respected members of the Apex Council, hope you all keeping well. You are already in receipt of the email I sent to explain my position as commentator. With the IPL dates announced, bcci.tv will pick its commentary panel soon.
I will be happy to work as per the guidelines laid by you. After all, we are working on what is essentially your production. Last time may be there was not enough clarity on this issue. Thanks very much, Regards," Sanjay Manjrekar wrote.
We must forgive Sanjay Manjrekar: Senior BCCI official
A senior BCCI official said that it is important to forgive Sanjay Manjrekar as he is an experienced commentator with loads of cricketing knowledge. The official also believes that since Sanjay Manjrekar has agreed to follow the code of conduct of the commentary team, there must be no problems in including him in the commentary team for the IPL.
"We should close this chapter now and forgive Manjrekar. He has already apologised for his comments on Jadeja and sorted it out with the player concerned. He has promised us that he'll stick to the 'code of conduct' for TV commentators. After all, he's a fine commentator with massive cricketing knowledge," the official said.
However, the final decision on whether Sanjay Manjrekar will be included in the BCCI commentary panel or not will lie completely with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah.