Mustafizur Rahman, the only Bangladesh player in IPL 2026, has been released by Kolkata Knight Riders after being instructed by the BCCI. Here's why.
KKR instructed to Mustafizur Rahman
On June 3, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told ANI that KKR had been instructed by the board to release Mustafizur Rahman. Saikia did not explicitly mention the reason, saying: "Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement".
The same was confirmed by the Knight Riders in an official media release.
While neither the BCCI nor KKR have specified an official reason, it's widely understood to be the result of worsening India-Bangladesh relations.
When Mustafizur was picked by the KKR at the auction, there seemed to be no objection against Bangladesh players. A total of seven were on the list, but no others were picked, possibly attributed to them not fitting in team combinations.
In fact, KKR spent heavily on Mustafizur. The bidding war was started by Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals: CSK went up till INR 9 Crore, with KKR making the winning bid at INR 9.20 Cr.
Since the auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, a lot has happened on the geopolitical front.
India-Bangladesh ties worsen
The situation is quite complex, and evolving, but the latest uproar in India has been the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu, by a mob that accused him of blasphemy.
The incident was heavily condemned by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, with spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying: “Continuing hostilities against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists matter of grave concern. We condemn the recent gruesome killing of a Hindu youth in Mymensingh and expect perpetrators to be brought to justice”.
Sheikh Hasina, their former prime minister, is currently sheltering in India, with her party – Awami League – banned by Bangladesh’s anti-terrorism law for months. A strong wave of protest and violence has followed the death of Sharif Osman Hadi in December. He was a prominent force in the anti-government protests last year that led to Hasina’s ouster.
Hadi was killed days before the IPL auction, but BCCI’s stance at that point hadn’t changed around Bangladesh players.
However, in the days leading up to Mustafizur’s exclusion, there had been calls against KKR and specifically their owner and India actor Shah Rukh Khan, with a few political and spiritual leaders questioning the decision to buy the Bangladesh player.
It's likely that the move to exclude Mustafizur was prompted by the need to save the tournament from further such incidents.
The move could even be an indication of future cricketing matters between the two countries.
What comes next?
The immediate impact could be felt by the T20 World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka starting February 7. Bangladesh are set to play their first three group games in Kolkata, and the fourth in Mumbai. A tweak to the schedule cannot be completely ruled out, although with just over a month left, it will be a major logistical hassle.
If things worsen, it could even lead to the same situation India and Pakistan share: the two teams do not meet for bilateral series, and only feature in multi-team events.
India and Bangladesh are set to feature in a bilateral series in September, deferred from last year over “scheduling convenience”. A call on that could be taken later.
On the political front, the intention still seems to be to make things better, but the rapidly-evolving situation could make things complex, especially with elections set to be held in Bangladesh in February.
“India stands for strengthening our ties with the people of Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said on December 27, echoing the largely long-standing cooperative ties between the two countries.
“We favour peace and stability in Bangladesh. We stand for fair, free inclusive and participatory elections, which is to be held in a peaceful atmosphere.”
The 2026 IPL is slated to begin on March 26, closely following the T20 World Cup.
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