‘Will not telecast IPL’: Bangladesh amid Mustafizur Rahman row
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Dhaka: The government of Bangladesh has decided not to telecast Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in the country, The Indian Express reported.
The country’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry cited the removal of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad for the 2026 season as the reason for the telecast ban.
The ministry in its statement said that the Indian Cricket Board’s direction to the Kolkata Knight Riders to oust Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League has ‘hurt and angered the Bangladesh citizens’.
‘Due to this, request is made as per instructions to stop the broadcast/telecast of all matches and programmes of the Indian Premier League,’ said the ministry stated.
Earlier the country’s advisor for Youth and Sports, Asif Nazrul, in a Facebook post urged Information and Broadcasting Advisor not to broadcast IPL matches in the country.
‘We won’t stand for any insult to Bangladesh’s cricket, cricketers and the country. The days of slavery are over,’ he said in the statement.
Alongside directing to release Mustafizur, the BCCI on Saturday put India’s tour of Bangladesh later this year on hold.
The Indian Express has quoted a top BCCI official as saying: ‘We didn’t travel to Bangladesh last year too, BCB had issued their international calendar, but it looks doubtful, as we need Indian government approval to play in any other country. As far as the T20I World Cup is concerned, Bangladesh will play as per the scheduled games in India’.
Kolkata Knight Riders and their co-owner, actor Shah Rukh Khan faced intense pressure after KKR brought Mustafizur in the auction ahead of the 2026 season of the IPL in December.
Hindu spiritual leader Jagadguru Rambhadrachary called Bollywood star ‘anti-national’ just as political leaders pressed for the removal of Mustafizur.