India legend MS Dhoni applauds the initiative of regional language commentary at the Indian Premier League (IPL) and revealed his appreciation for Bhojpuri commentary, calling it “energetic” and said it reminds him of old-school radio commentary.
Bhojpuri made its debut in the commentary feed during the IPL 2023 and took fans by storm. This year, the 18th season of the IPL is streaming live across 16 feeds, including 12 languages: English, Hindi, Marathi, Haryanvi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati and Punjabi on the digital streaming platform.
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“I haven’t listened to regional language commentary much because when we watch live matches, replays are limited, and most of the commentary I hear is in English or Hindi. That helps us analyse the game better. Personally, I also like listening to what commentators say because most of them are former players. While I may be playing 17 games in a season, they cover hundreds of matches across different tournaments and countries. Their exposure to various situations and teams is immense.
“As players, we know our team’s strengths and weaknesses, but listening to commentary gives you an outsider’s perspective. It sparks new ideas – like ‘why don’t we try this approach?’ – which can then be evaluated based on intelligence and data to see if it fits within the team’s strategy.
“I haven’t heard a lot of regional commentary, but I know that Bihari (Bhojpuri) commentary is highly energetic. It reminds me of old-school radio commentary, where the commentators were very involved. I find that very interesting. Many people prefer to listen in their regional language – it’s their mother tongue, and they want to experience the game in that way. I would love to hear Haryanvi commentary because it’s quite unique,” Dhoni said on JisHotstar’s ‘The MS Dhoni Experience’.
Dhoni is playing in his 18th season in the tournament in 2025 and has so far played 265 games and scored 5,243 runs with 24 half-centuries to his name.
