The decision to remove Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 was taken at the highest level of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), without consultation with all board members or the IPL Governing Council, according to a report by The Indian Express.
On January 3, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were instructed to release Mustafizur despite having picked him for ₹9.20 crore at the IPL mini-auction in Abu Dhabi. The move came amid public outrage in India following reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, which led to criticism of KKR and its co-owner Shah Rukh Khan.
The report quoted a BCCI official as saying that no formal meeting or discussion took place before the decision, and several members learned about the move through media reports. “There was no discussion. No suggestion was taken from our side,” the official said, indicating the decision was made centrally.
Following Mustafizur’s release, tensions between Indian and Bangladeshi cricket authorities escalated. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) seeking relocation of its T20 World Cup matches from India, while the Bangladesh government ordered an indefinite suspension of IPL broadcasts in the country.
Bangladesh’s interim sports advisor Asif Nazrul stated that the government would not tolerate any insult to Bangladeshi cricketers. Meanwhile, India’s scheduled white-ball tour of Bangladesh in September 2026 remains uncertain, pending government approval.