Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman didn’t have much to say when asked about his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 exit. The left-arm speedster, who was acquired by the three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 9.20 crore in the mini auction, was released by the franchise from their squad on the orders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It has also come to light that the 30-year-old was also left disappointed upon hearing about getting released and not getting a chance to play in the upcoming edition of the premier T20 tournament.
“If they release me, there’s nothing much I can do,” said Mustafizur Rahman as he issued a first reaction while speaking to BDCrictime.
The last few days have seen both KKR and its co-owner, Shah Rukh Khan, being targeted by several political leaders for having Rahman on board amid the ongoing political tensions between India and Bangladesh. The recent developments saw Shah Rukh Khan being deemed a “traitor” by BJP leader Sangeet Som.
In recent months, several Hindus have been killed in Bangladesh, leading to the relations turning sour between the two countries.
It is worth mentioning that once KKR bought Rahman in the auction, they couldn’t have released Rahman on their own. According to the official IPL guidelines, the call to release a player lies only with the BCCI or the player himself.
Shortly after BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia spoke to the media about instructing KKR to release Rahman, the franchise promptly followed the directive, confirming that they would now be allowed to select a replacement player.
The fallout continues
The BCB announced the schedule for its home season earlier this week, in which Bangladesh is scheduled to take on India in three ODIs and three T20Is. However, according to the BCCI, nothing is official as the board is awaiting government approval, and the Indian men’s team will only travel to Dhaka once all the necessary permissions are in place.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the BCB has also now taken action, and they will be writing to the ICC to request that its upcoming T20 World Cup matches be shifted from India to Sri Lanka. The tournament, scheduled to begin in February, will feature Bangladesh competing against England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies in Group C.
Bangladesh are originally scheduled to play its matches in Kolkata and Nepal. However, the BCB are now worried about the security of its team and hence wants the T20 World Cup matches to be shifted out of India.
