Top 10 Best Cricket Commentators (2025 Updated List)

Commentary is an integral part of any sport, and it is the soul of cricket. Commentary always adds an extra layer to the game, as it gives a verbal explanation of the game. Over the years, Cricket commentary has improved, where commentators are seen explaining the game very well and in an interactive way, where they also provide deep analysis into the game. Cricket commentators vary in the style of commentary across the regions, where they include cricket commentators from India, England, Australia, Pakistan, and even Zimbabwe.

In recent years, cricket commentary was limited only to English, but now it is available in Hindi and many other languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. The IPL has introduced cricket commentary in more than 10+ languages, which even includes Punjabi, Bhojpuri, and Haryanvi. Once cricket commentary was limited only to male commentators, but as time progresses, it has now seen many female cricket commentators who are doing exceptionally well in this field. In this article, we will list down the top 10 Best Cricket Commentators.

Top 10 Best Cricket Commentators

Cricket commentators always bring an extra layer of entertainment to the game of cricket with the way they express the visuals of the game and provide relevant information about in-depth analysis. Here is the list of the top 10 best cricket commentators who have done exceptionally well in entertaining fans through their commentary.

Who is the Best Cricket Commentator in the World?

In the world of cricket, cricket commentators hold a different kind of value towards the game, where they make the game look more interesting. There are a number of cricket commentators who have flourished well and have made their name, yet the question lies in who is the best commentator in cricket. Here are the best cricket commentator in the world.

5. Ian Smith | New Zealand

Ian Smith, a former New Zealand cricketer, started his commentary career after he retired from cricket. He began his commentary career with Radio Live Sports for the breakfast show, after which he went to Sky Sports, where he did commentary on cricket and rugby matches. Ian Smith has a different kind of hold in his voice, and he does commentary with full enthusiasm. He tries to provide all the cricketing knowledge through his commentary. He has covered many international cricket matches, where his commentary in the ICC World Cup 2019 got viral and has been listened to by everyone: “By the barest of all margins.” Smith can be identified from the crowd due to his vibrant voice and extraordinary enthusiasm, always managing to capture the drama taking place on the field.

4. Ian Chappell | Australia

Ian Chappell is a legendary and one of the best commentator in cricket. He was one of the best batsmen for the Australian team, where he had scored a decent tally of runs during his career. He started his commentary career after he retired from the game of cricket. He was known for his blunt commentary style and for providing deep knowledge about the game of cricket. He was a part of various channels in his commentary career, including 0-10 Network, BBC, Channel Nine, and even ABC Radio before his retirement. He used to cover the major ICC tournaments and has a lot of exposure in the field of commentary. In 2022, has decided to say goodbye to cricket commentary after holding the mic for almost 45 years.

3. Ravi Shastri | India

Ravi Shastri, a former Indian cricket player and India's former head coach, is one of the best Indian cricket commentators. He is known for his different style of commentary, where he comments with full energy and passion. He provides full, in-depth analysis during his commentary, where he gives anecdotes from his playing career to his coaching career. He has good experience in both international and domestic setups up where he is at the top priority in the commentary panel list of the ICC tournaments as well as the IPL. The most iconic phrase of Ravi Shastri's commentary is “Dhoni finishes off in style," where he commented this during India's win in the ICC World Cup 2011 when MS Dhoni hit the ball for six to win the final.

2. Harsha Bhogle | India

Harsha Bhogle is the best Indian cricket commentator who brings a different kind of aura to the commentary box. He has a very elegant style of commentary, which suits his overall personality. He started his career at the age of 19, when he began working with All India Radio. After that, he worked with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for commentary during the India-Australia series in 1991-1992. He has been part of the IPL commentary panel since 2009, and he has even worked with many channels like ESPN, Star Sports, and even the BBC, covering many key matches in the international set-up and the IPL. He is known to give better analysis of the game with a deep understanding. There is no doubt that he is the best Indian cricket commentator, but also one of the best cricket commentator in the world.

1. Richie Benaud | Australia

The best cricket commentator in the world is none other than Richie Benaud, a former Australian spinner. He had made his name in the world of cricket commentary with his exceptional skills and a unique way of commentary. He took the role of commentator after retiring from international cricket. He has worked at Channel Four for 42 years, retiring in 2005, and worked for Australia's Channel Nine before he passed away in 2015. He is one of those commentators who used to appreciate the player a lot, and his iconic phrase “Marvellous” is still loved by fans. Indeed, he is the best cricket commentators produced in the world of cricket.

Best Indian Cricket Commentators

As the game of cricket evolved to its extent in India, many of them took up the role of commentary. There is a good number of Indian cricket commentators who have been doing well in this sector. Here are some of the best Indian cricket commentators to look for, who have done well in commentary.

Who is the Best Hindi Commentator in Cricket?

In the current scenario of Indian cricket commentary, Jatin Sapru is the best Hindi commentator in cricket. He is known for his different kind of style and flair in commentary. He has an interactive style of commentary and has a clear command of the Hindi language. He has been in this profession for many years, where he has gained experience working with Star Sports. He has gained popularity over the years as the best Hindi commentator in cricket, making him a part of all major ICC tournaments and series, and even the IPL. His iconic phrase went so viral, which came during the final match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which was “Long Off..Long Off…Long off..SuryaKumar Yadav”, where an exceptional catch was taken by SuryaKumar Yadav.

Ranking factors

The ranking of the best cricket commentators has been done based on several ranking factors in order to rank them fairly and accurately. Here are the ranking factors:

• Cricketing Knowledge & Insight: The cricketing knowledge and insight are the primary factors to rank the best cricket commentators, as they tell us whether the commentator has proper knowledge of cricket or not, and give deep analytical insights. This shows us that the commentator is equipped with the proper knowledge about the game.
• Popularity with Audience: The popularity with the audience helps in understanding how well the fans connect with the particular commentator, which also tells about the commentator being famous among the audience who loves to listen to their commentary.
• Multi-format Versatility: The multi-format versatility of the commentator tells us about the ability of the commentator to do commentary across the formats of the game, which will eventually test their skills. For instance, in test cricket, where the game is long and is played over five days, it needs a commentator who doesn't let fans get bored and share insights as well as do a bit of engaging commentary. The commentator who has multi-format versatility is considered to be the best cricket commentators.
• Commentary Skill & Articulation: The commentary skill and articulation are also important factors, as they tell us about the skill of the commentator, where there should be proper flow in the commentary and no room for error. This shows us that the commentary should be done in a proper way.