The Bangladesh government has banned the telecast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for an indefinite period. In an official communication, the Bangladesh government said that the BCCI’s decision of asking Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman whom they bought at the auction for Rs 9.20 crore lacked any rational basis and had hurt public sentiment in Bangladesh. It announced that it would halt the broadcast and telecast of IPL matches in the country until further notice.
“In view of the subject, it is being informed that a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has come to light regarding the exclusion of Bangladeshi star player Mr Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, scheduled to be held from 26 March 2026. No rational reason for such a decision by the Indian Cricket Board is known and such a decision has pained, saddened, and aggrieved the people of Bangladesh,” the Bangladesh government said in a statement.
“Under these circumstances, until further notice, a request is made as per instructions to stop the broadcast/telecast of all matches and programmes of the Indian Premier League (IPL).”
“This order is issued with the approval of the proper authority and in the public interest.”
Bangladesh request ICC to shift their T20 World Cup matches to Sri Lanka
Earlier, Bangladesh were scheduled to play their T20 World Cup matches in India. However, after the recent turn of events, Bangladesh have requested ICC that their matches happen in Sri Lanka instead, much like Pakistan who won’t set foot on Indian shores either.
On Sunday (January 4), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) formally notified the world cricket governing that it would not be sending its team to India for the T20 World Cup. The India tour of Bangladesh also stands on hold and the future of the bilateral cricket relationship seems dark at least for the foreseeable future.
KKR yet to announce Mustafizur’s replacement
While the BCCI has allowed KKR the option to pick a replacement player, the franchise has not yet announced a replacement for the speedster. Players like Jhye Richardson, Michael Bracewell, Gerald Coetzee are options available to the franchise as replacement signings as they went unsold at the IPL Auction.