The interim government in Bangladesh on Monday banned the broadcast of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League in the country after the Kolkata Knight Riders dropped Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from its squad two days earlier, The Daily Star reported.
The franchise on Saturday released Rahman from its squad ahead of the cricket tournament, which is scheduled to begin on March 26, following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The decision had come amid diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Dhaka after the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh in December.
On Monday, a press release issued by the Bangladeshi Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s television wing said that the directive by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to release Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad had come to the attention of the government, The Daily Star reported.
No reason was communicated for the decision behind Mustafizur’s exclusion, the release stated, adding that it had caused distress among the citizens of Bangladesh. The decision to ban the broadcast of Indian Premier League matches had been taken in this context, it added.
Kolkata Knight Riders, a franchise co-owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, had hired Rahman at the players’ auction on December 16. The 30-year-old was one among seven Bangladeshi players in the auction pool, but was the only one to find bidders.
Rahman’s inclusion in the franchise had triggered a controversy, with political parties and spiritual leaders criticising Khan for hiring the player.
On Sunday, Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul had also said that the country’s cricket team would not travel to India for the 2026 Twenty20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7.
“Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken this decision today,” Nazrul had written on social media. “We welcome this decision taken in the context of the violent communal policy of the Cricket Board of India.”
Khaled Mashud Pilot, the director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, also told The Business Standard that the country had sent a letter to the International Cricket Council, “requesting that our match be moved from India to Sri Lanka”.
“If they [India] cannot provide security to one of our players, how will they ensure the security of our entire team?” Pilot had said. “That is why we will not go there to play.”
India is co-hosting the World Cup with Sri Lanka, as Pakistan has refused to play in the country.
The International Cricket Council is yet to respond to Bangladesh’s request.
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