- By Himanshu Badola
- Tue, 06 Jan 2026 12:02 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Mustafizur Rahman IPL 2026 BCCI-BCB Controversy: As soon as Mustafizur Rahman was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2026 as per the BCCI's instructions, the cricketing relations between India and Bangladesh took an interesting turn amid all the chaos around the political tensions. Rahman, who was sold to the KKR for a huge price of Rs 9.20 crore, will not be a part of the IPL 2026.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had spoken to the media ahead of the big development, confirming that the board ordered the three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release the 30-year-old left-arm pacer from their squad. The last few days have witnessed incidents of multiple Hindus being killed in Bangladesh, and this has led to public outrage in India against the neighbouring country.
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BCCI was left with no choice as there was a huge backlash for KKR and co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, as political and public reactions continued to create pressure. A couple of days after the big decision was made and the Bangladesh Cricket Board suspended the IPL broadcast, the details of the whole scenario came out.
As per a report in The Indian Express, not all members of the BCCI and the IPL governing council were consulted in the decision to ask KKR to release Rahman. The debatable decisionwas taken at the highest level of the governing body.
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"We ourselves got to know about this through the media. There was no discussion. No suggestion was taken from our side," the report quoted a BCCI official as saying.
Notably, Rahman joined the KKR after the franchise won an intense bidding war against the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings, and Delhi Capitals during the IPL 2026 mini auction in Abu Dhabi last month. Following the BCCI's decision, the BCB has now written to the ICC to request that their T20 World Cup 2026 group matches be held from India to Sri Lanka.
Asif Nazrul, the interim government’s advisor for Youth and Sports in Bangladesh, also stepped in and said that the interim government in Bangladesh would not accept the insult of any Bangladesh cricketer. "We won’t stand for any insult to Bangladesh’s cricket, cricketers and the country. The days of slavery are over," he wrote on Facebook.
The Indian team was scheduled to tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and as many T20I matches in September 2026, but the fate of the series currently hangs in the balance as the BCCI waits for government approval.