The left-arm pacer was a vital player for the Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2026.
In a latest update, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has imposed an indefinite suspension on the Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast in Bangladesh. The authorities took the decision as one of the steps in the aftermath of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) directive to remove speedster Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for IPL 2026.
The directive from BCCI has not sat well with the neighbouring country. As a result, there have been a series of actions from the Bangladesh Cricket Board in response to the move by the Indian cricketing authority. Though the directive originates from the rising political tensions between the two countries after the incidents on Bangladeshi soil, its cricketing impact will be faced by the three-time IPL champions.
The 19th edition of the coveted Indian franchise league is scheduled to begin from March 26 this year. The mini-auction which took place in Abu Dhabi on December 16 saw Mustafizur Rahman being picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a sum of INR 9.20 Crore. Apart from that, the franchise will now have to be on the lookout for another seam bowling option after Mustafizur’s release.
Controversies seem to have become a huge chunk of the sport, with the number of franchise leagues growing amid the game going through a huge shift. However, the release of the Bangladeshi pacer had nothing to do with cricketing reasons. It was a pure call on the basis of the rising tensions between the two countries, which has been doing the rounds in the news for the last few days.
The cricket fans have also not been able to wrap their head around why the BCCI would enforce the release of a player after he was bought by a franchise in the mini-auction. The Knight Riders were in a dire need for an overseas speedster which they got in the form of Mustafizur Rahman. That being said, the management will now have to go after another speedster.
Here is the full timeline – right from the beginning till the latest update about the Mustafizur Rahman snub from KKR, which has brought millions of debates to life across the cricketing ecosystem:
The BCCI officially instructed the three-time IPL winners to release Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for the 19th edition. The decision originated from the rising social and political backlash with arguments that converged the world of politics with sport.
However, fans were not happy with the decision, and questioned BCCI so as to why the speedster was released after the mini-auction was completed. The franchise would now have to rejig their entire plan, as Mustafizur was an important player for their campaign.
The franchise had no option but to initiate the release of the Bangladeshi pacer, which they did in due course. However, as expected, this was just the start of the story. The Bangladesh Cricket Board then came into action, sending an official letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The cricket board stated that they would be unwilling to send their players to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Furthermore, they requested that Bangladesh’s matches be moved to Sri Lanka for the security of their own players.
The team is supposed to play all four of their group stage matches in India – three in Kolkata and a solitary one in Mumbai.
In what has come across as the latest update on the matter, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has imposed an indefinite suspension of any IPL promotion or broadcast in Bangladesh. This comes after the entire controversy, and is reported to have a feeling of unfair treatment within the camp.
The dispute which started off with the BCCI directive to release Mustafizur Rahman from the KKR squad has now blown up into a political and public dispute which ceases to fade out. It would be interesting to keep an eye on the further steps.
But most importantly, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side will have to keep their strategy in place after having lost one of their key players who would have undoubtedly started in he playing XI.
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Amid the growing tensions between the two countries, the International Cricket Council declared a meeting with the Bangladesh Cricket Board in order to speak over the latter’s request to shift Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures outside India.
It has been reported that the two authorities are scheduled to get over a call in the coming days to discuss the matter. The logistical plans for the mega-event will require some manoeuvring if the Tigers hold their fort.
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