A significant political-sporting issue has been sparked by the release of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders prior to the IPL 2026 season. Shashi Tharoor, a Congress lawmaker, recently charged that cricket has become needlessly politicised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Bangladesh is currently considering not going to India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup because of the impact that has spread beyond the IPL.
Mustafizur was released by KKR at the BCCI’s request, citing recent events amid worsening tensions between India and Bangladesh following accusations of attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.
Mustafizur was a member of the BCCI-approved player pool before being purchased by KKR in the IPL 2026 auction for INR 9.2 crore. However, political and religious organisations in India protested his choice, prompting the board to step in.
A sportsperson shouldn’t be made a victim of diplomatic tensions or social media uproar, said Tharoor, chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, who questioned the reasoning behind the decision.
“So why is KKR at fault for choosing someone from that pool if there was a fellow in it? Therefore, the first question is that it is pointless to protest the selection of a player who has been submitted as eligible by the BCCI to all teams,” he stated, as reported by NDTV.
Terrorists have not been sent across the border by Bangladesh: Shashi Tharoor
According to Tharoor, the BCCI’s choice was not very cricket-wise. He argued that it would be paradoxical to criticise KKR’s selection following the auction as teams chose players from a list that was compiled by the BCCI itself. Additionally, Tharoor cautioned against comparing Bangladesh to Pakistan in order to avoid creating a risky model.
We have also made an effort to welcome Tariq Mustafizur, the chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who many believe would likely become prime minister following the elections. No, Pakistan is not Bangladesh. Terrorists have not been sent across the border by Bangladesh. “It’s not even comparable,” he continued.
International attention has now been drawn to the dispute. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) expressed worries over player safety in India in a letter to the ICC after an emergency meeting. Asif Nazrul, the sports adviser for Bangladesh, has publicly questioned whether the national team can play in India after a professional cricket player from Bangladesh was excluded from the IPL. According to reports, Bangladesh is thinking of asking to move its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, with their initial matches scheduled to take place in Kolkata.
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