BCCI asks Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman

In a move shaped as much by geopolitics as by sport, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad ahead of the IPL 2026 season, amid rising diplomatic strain between New Delhi and Dhaka.

Rahman, the 30-year-old left-arm seamer, had been snapped up by KKR for Rs 9.20 crore — well above his Rs 2 crore base price — after a fierce bidding duel with Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals at last month’s auction. It was set to be his maiden stint with the three-time IPL champions.

Confirming the decision, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the franchise would be permitted to seek a replacement if it chose to do so. “KKR can ask for a replacement, and upon request, the BCCI will allow it,” he told PTI, offering only a brief explanation when pressed: “Because of recent developments all across.”

Behind that understated phrase lies a fraught political backdrop. Pressure had been mounting on the BCCI following reports of the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh and India’s expressed concerns over the safety of minorities there.

Rahman, a familiar face in the IPL since 2016, has featured in eight editions of the tournament, representing franchises such as Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Only the 2019 and 2020 seasons passed without his presence.

The episode also mirrors the uncertain state of India–Bangladesh cricketing ties. A planned white-ball bilateral series was postponed last year, and while the Bangladesh Cricket Board has proposed rescheduling it for September, the BCCI remains non-committal, citing the volatile political situation across the border.

Relations between the two neighbours have been unsettled since the dramatic ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India last August following mass protests. Her subsequent death sentence in absentia by a tribunal over a deadly crackdown on student demonstrators, repeated diplomatic summons exchanged by both countries, and Dhaka’s evolving foreign policy under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration — including warmer signals towards Pakistan — have all added layers of complexity.

In this charged atmosphere, even the IPL — long celebrated as cricket’s great melting pot — has found itself entangled in the cross-currents of regional politics.

With PTI inputs