- By Himanshu Badola
- Sun, 04 Jan 2026 11:29 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bangladesh's senior pacer Mustafizur Rahman came up with his first reaction after he was released from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad ahead of the IPL 2026 on the orders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It has also come to light that Mustafizur was left disappointed upon hearing about getting released and that he won't be a part of the upcoming edition of the premier T20 tournament.
The left-arm pacer was acquired by the three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 9.20 crore in the mini auction. "If they release me, there is nothing much I can do," Rahman said while speaking to BDCricTime.
After Rahman's IPL release amid the political tensions between India and Bangladesh, the BCB has been directed by its sports ministry to request moving the country’s T20 World Cup league games from India to Sri Lanka because of ‘concerns over player safety’.
The decision to release Mustafizur came amid huge backlash, with political and public reactions increasing following the rise in the killings of Hindus in Bangladesh. BCB president and former Bangladesh skipper Aminul Islam Bulbul stayed silent after an emergency board meeting called in response to the development. However, government advisor Asif Nazrul said that he has directed the Board to request the ICC to move Bangladesh’s four T20 World Cup 2026 league games, three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai, to Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh will play four league games: against the Windies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 in Kolkata, followed by their final game against Nepal on February 17 in Mumbai.
On the other hand, soon after releasing Mustafizur, the three-time IPL champions KKR confirmed that they would now be allowed to select a replacement player. Amid all the ongoing chaos, the Bangladesh Cricket Board recently announced the schedule for their home ODI and T20I series against India. However, according to the BCCI, nothing is official as the board is awaiting government approval.
The 30-year-old Rahman played just three matches in the IPL 2025 as he came up as a replacement player and managed to take four wickets.