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Mustafizur Rahman officially axed from IPL 2026 by BCCI, KKR given choice

Umesh Sharma

Mustafizur Rahman (Source: AFP) Mustafizur Rahman (Source: AFP) 

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has been removed from the upcoming IPL 2026. In a significant development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked the KKR franchise to release Mustafizur from the IPL 2026 squad. 

This decison has arrived in the light of the ongoing geopolitical turmoil between India and Bangladesh. The BCCI secretary Devajit came up with an official statement in which revealed about the board's message for the Knight Riders franchise. 

"BCCI will allow replacement for Mustafizur Rahman..." - Devajit Saikia 

Notably, the pacer was roped in by KKR for INR 9.20 crores during the IPL 2026 mini auction, but now the chances of his appearance in the tournament has been ruled out by the BCCI. 

"Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement," said Saikia to ANI. 


Notably, there has been a severe heat at geopolitical turf between India and Bangladesh since former Sheikh Hasina's ouster in 2024 as the prime minister of Bangladesh. The rise and alignment of anti-India powers and anti-India sentiments in the power centres of Bangladesh have raised an outrage among the people in India. 

Meanwhile, this geopolitical tension has shown its impact on the cricketing relations between India and Bangladesh. Earlier this year, BCCI postponed India's Bangladesh tour for an uncertain period of time. In the same vein, the Indian cricket fans were seen unhappy with IPL franchise KKR buying Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026. 

It also drew a criticism and outrage from the fans for KKR's decision makers, which further prompted the BCCI to take cognizance and initiate a swift action. The Indian board have now asked the franchise to release the Bangladesh pacer ahead of the IPL's 19th edition, starting two months later. 

What actually forced BCCI for this decision

The recent violent acts against the Hindu minorities triggered sentiments in India, including the death of Dipu Chandra Das at the hands of a mob. It further led to the demands of boycotting Bangladesh in other domains as well. Cricket happened to be one of them, and the board also faced criticism from the fans for roping in Bangladesh players for the upcoming IPL edition. 

Mustafizur Rahman's inclusion in KKR also faced criticism from the notable Indian personalities. It also included the religious preachers, who slammed the franchise and owner Shah Rukh Khan for picking a Bangladesh player in the squad. 

"Because of recent developments all across," said the BCCI secretary to ANI, but did not explicitly mention the line of events. 

"Everything comes under the BCCI..." - Mohammad Kaif before board's decision

Earlier, the former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif also asked the BCCI to take a call on Mustafizur Rahman's appearance in the Indian Premier League. 

"I don't have much knowledge of the issue. I've been here in Dubai for the past 2-3 weeks. What will be the decision? Everything comes under the BCCI, the decision is in their hands," Kaif was quoted as saying by the Times of India on the sidelines of ILT20 in Dubai. 

"I will not sit here and share an opinion because it is a sensitive issue. You should play the waiting game because what is happening, what will be the movement, we may write (but in reality) there is no movement there (on the ground)," the former batter added later.