Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Krunal Pandya talks to commentator Ian Bishop before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. NEW DELHI: Harbhajan Singh, Aakash Chopra and Navjot Singh Sidhu have come under fire on social media for their comments (Hindi) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). It’s not the first time fans have advocated for a better product from the broadcaster. At the other end of this divide sits former West Indies player Ian Bishop.Taking a broader point, former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team manager and sports administrator Joy Bhattacharjya wrote on X: “I’m in favor of the credit given to Ian Bishop for the research he puts into young cricketers.”
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Greenstone Lobo predicts IPL 2026 winner“Demanding why other commentators don’t pick up stories like this is irrelevant. I ask you, as cricket lovers, to also go and read and celebrate the reporters who make Bishop and other commentators look good on air with great coverage from the ground. Giving them credit doesn’t make Bish look bad, I’m sure he would welcome it as a great commentator and more importantly, he continued as a very decent person.Recommended by Michael Holding as a Channel 4 commentator, Bishop is not shy about admitting that much of the credit goes to the journalists on the ground chasing these stories.“As a broadcaster and as a human being… I am interested in numbers, but the numbers are widely available. What interests me is the person behind the cricketer. So if I come to a tournament like this, I want to explore every player who is in the league,” he told TimesofIndia.com on the sidelines of the ILT20.“I want to know who their parents are, I want to know what jobs they had, I want to know how they got into the game. I believe the public deserves to know for several reasons. I want to tell that 13-year-old viewer who doesn’t have the funds available that you can do it even if you don’t have access to the resources,” he continued.Bishop revealed he picked up gig bits from Holding, Channel 4’s Gary Francis and Trans World International’s Michael O’Dwyer, while Tony Cozier remains his role model.
I want to thank all of you media gentlemen, especially the print press, who do all these player profiles that give me information as a commentator that I wouldn’t otherwise know.
Ian Bishop
The 58-year-old played 43 Tests for West Indies during a nine-year career. Ever since he left the cricket field due to injuries in 1999, he decided to become a coach, preferring to take the microphone. If not, he would turn into a teacher.“I want to be able to report what this player has done. So it takes a lot of time. I actually asked our analyst if there was any artificial intelligence that could help reduce my research time. Because I spend too much time preparing for the game, much to the chagrin of my wife and kids,” Bishop told the site.“But I don’t want to do the people watching and listening a disservice by not knowing the players or what I’m talking about,” he continued.
In terms of delivery, Test match cricket is slower; you have time to tell. Whereas T20 cricket has to provide that energy most of the time.
Ian Bishop
He then thanked the media for helping him do his job better, just like Bhattacharjya said in his post.“I want to thank all of you media gentlemen, especially the print media, who do all the player profiles that give me information as a commentator that I wouldn’t otherwise know.”Another aspect of the commentary role is beyond research and comes in the form of delivery. There’s Martin Tyler’s “Agueroooo” from the 2012 English Premier League that saw Manchester City win the title by seconds. There is also “Dhoni ends in style!” Ravi Shastri described how India won the 2011 ODI World Cup.Bishop believes that delivery depends on the format and sometimes even silence does a good job.“In terms of delivery, Test match cricket is slower, you have time to tell a story. Whereas T20 cricket has to provide that energy most of the time. And that’s why even if I have to play it, I want to bring that energy because of this format of the game.”“There are times when I’d rather not talk, to be honest with you. And then a producer will be in your ear: ‘You’re not saying anything? You’re not working today?’ he declared.Does he or other commentators prepare such lines or rehearse these moments?“If I know a guy’s story, I’m ready for it before the match. And if I know the game is coming to a turning point… Ajesh Ramachandran, who works at the ICC (executive producer)… in 2016, he was the first one to say, please prepare yourself for the moments, whether it’s a half-century, whether it’s something that will take five wickets. try to do it.
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“But I also find that the best commentary is to have some idea of the moment, but more ad-libbing with bullet points. Because when you write a script, it sounds very readable. Whereas responding to the moment with a bit of prior information is the best way to go, I think,” he mused.At this point in the IPL commentary divide, he also shed light on getting a perspective on criticism that might resonate with the current crop of firebrand IPL commentators from legendary commentator Richie Benaud.“When there was a vote for best commentator and he won, he said, ‘Don’t worry about it. I didn’t get all the votes. This guy, that guy, got some votes, so not everybody loved my style. And (there’s) a part of the market that likes volume, they like words, they like loud calls to get them excited, and there’s another part of The Market magazine that likes The Market.
