Navjot Singh Sidhu to return to action in IPL 2024

Mumbai, Mar 19: After an absence of many years, Sidhuisms will be echoing in the Commentary Box to regale the fans during the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season as Former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu is returning to commentary duties for the franchise-based T20 league.

Renowned for his witty one-liners and insightful commentary, Sidhu will be part of the ‘Incredible Star Cast’, dedicated to enhancing the IPL 2024 experience by driving key narratives across, hyping rivalries, showcasing heroes, and amplifying memorable moments.

Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the highly anticipated IPL 2024 on Tuesday announced the return of former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu to the commentary box. The IPL 2024 on Star Sports will be presented in 9 language feeds, including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, and Bangla with a host of reputed legends and experts.

Speaking about his return to commentary, Sidhu said, “Commentary is not like a sleeping pill that you will make people sleep. You need to make it understandable to the common man with an addition to what is happening. If you are an expert, whatever is happening on the screen is in front of everyone else as they are seeing it too.

"How you will add the component in the picture of what is not shown on the screen, is the strength of the commentator. I believe commentary is an art. In radio commentary, you paint a picture for fans, and they do believe in it. But here, we have visuals, and we need to slow down a bit while adding context to the picture,” Sidhu said.

Sidhu, who had taken up commentary soon after quitting active cricket, has gone into politics and television reality shows. He was a member of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2014 representing Amritsar and a minister in the Congress government in Punjab.