Laxman Sivaramakrishnan announces retirement from BCCI commentary

Former India cricketer Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has announced his decision to retire from commentary assignments with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He has served for over two decades, spanning international, domestic and franchise cricket. The 60-year-old shared his decision on social media, sparking widespread discussion as the Chennai-born has accused racism behind his decision to retire.

His remarks drew attention for the concerns he raised about his experience during his time in broadcasting. Sivaramakrishnan indicated that he had repeatedly been excluded from key roles such as toss coverage and post-match presentations, while Ravi Shastri and others were picked ahead of him. He also suggested that newer entrants were preferred for these assignments despite his



experience. 

“I am retiring from commentary for BCCI,” he posted on X earlier in the day. After that, he asked his followers to guess the reason behind him not being preferred for the key roles.

“If I have not been used for tosses and presentation for 23 years and newcomers come in what do you think could be the reason,” he asked.

“You are right. Colour discrimination,” Sivaramakrishnan replied to one of the comments.

He further pointed to a pattern that, according to him, extended across different phases of his commentary career, including periods when established figures like Shastri were part of the setup.

“My retirement is nothing great. But a story of TV production unfolds. Soon you will see the bigger picture,” he shared.