Veteran umpire Anil Chaudhary has announced his retirement as umpire from international cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chaudhary who started his umpiring career in 2013 has officiated in 12 Tests, 49 ODIs and 131 IPL matches. Overall, he has stood as umpire in 91 first-class games, 114 List A and 28 T20s.
His last appearance as umpire was in Ranji Trophy final where Vidarbha beat Kerala on the basis of first innings lead. On the international stage, his last game was on September 27 when India took on Australia in 2023 in Rajkot. Coincidentally, it was the same venue where Chaudhary made his international umpiring debut in 2013 in a T20I match between the two heavyweights.
Chaudhary will not be stepping away from the game entirely. From umpiring, he has shifted to commentary now. He commentated during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and is happy with the feedback he has got so far.
"I've transformed into a commentator now. It's a bit out of the box for me, broadcasting. For the last six months, I've been behind the mike. I commentated during the Champions Trophy in Feb-March, though I took a 'break' during that time for umpiring in the Ranji Trophy final. I've received very good feedback about my umpiring. The viewers feel that I give a different perspective, since an umpire's perspective is completely different. People feel that I say interesting things on TV commentary," Chaudhary told TOI.
However, Chaudhary has not retired from umpiring entirely. In addition, the most experienced umpire in IPL history will be training umpires via his YouTube channel.
"I'm going to umpire in T20 leagues in UAE and the US now. So, I'll play a dual role as an umpire and as a commentator. I'm also launching a You-tube channel called 'Umpire's call by Anil Chaudhary,' and I'm forming a company, which will be called 'Voice & Verdict' in which I'll train the umpires," he said.
7 new Indian umpires in IPL
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced seven new Indian umpires for the IPL 2025 -- Swaroopanand Kannur, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Parashar Joshi, Anish Sahastrabuddhe, Keyur Kelkar, Koushik Gandhi and Abhijeet Bengeri -- who will be mentored by S Ravi and CK Nandan. The three international umpires in the IPL will be Michael Gough, Chris Gaffaney and Adrian Holdstock.