Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, bought for Rs 9.20 crore at the IPL auction, following BCCI instructions amid tense
bilateral ties.
The decision has sparked outrage in Dhaka, with government adviser Asif Nazrul demanding IPL 2026 broadcast bans in Bangladesh and a shift of Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India. Nazrul urged the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to halt IPL telecasts.
"I have requested the adviser for Information and Broadcasting to ensure that the broadcast of the IPL in Bangladesh is also suspended. Under no circumstances will we tolerate any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers, or Bangladesh itself. The days of servitude are over," he said to the media.
He also directed the BCB to petition ICC chair Jay Shah for moving Bangladesh's four league games-three in Kolkata (vs West Indies on Feb 7, Italy on Feb 9, England on Feb 14) and one in Mumbai (vs Nepal on Feb 17)-to Sri Lanka over safety concerns.
"As the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to put the entire matter in writing and explain it to the ICC. The board must make it clear that if a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, cannot play in India, then the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup. I have also directed the board to formally request that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka instead," Nazrul posted on Facebook.
A BCCI source called relocation demands unrealistic, with the tournament just a month away. Logistics for teams, hotels, flights, and daily triple-headers make changes a "nightmare," especially since Pakistan's matches shifted to Sri Lanka months earlier. Bangladesh's reactive stance risks further straining cricket ties already frayed by domestic turmoil.
