• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Mustafizur Rahman Receives Threat Before Ipl 2026 Ujjain Religious Leaders Warn Of Pitch Invasion

Mustafizur Rahman receives threat before IPL 2026; Ujjain religious leaders warn of pitch invasion

Soumyajit Dutta

Mustafizur Rahman [Source: @KKR_Xtra/X]Mustafizur Rahman [Source: @KKR_Xtra/X]

Religious leaders in Ujjain have threatened to vandalise pitches during the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season if Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman is permitted to play. This extreme warning emerges out of rising anger in India over recent violent attacks on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, which now seemingly condemns Mustafizur Rahman playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the upcoming season.

The controversy rose as Mustafizur Rahman was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 9.20 crore, making him the only Bangladeshi player in this year's auction.

KKR boycott calls and threats for Mustafizur Rahman

This move has sparked calls on social media to boycott the team, with users condemning the inclusion as insensitive amidst ongoing sectarian violence in Bangladesh which includes the lynching of two Hindus.

Seers, including Mahavir Nath, chief priest of the Rinmukteshwar Mahadev Temple in Ujjain, warned they would take direct action. “Ascetic warriors would storm stadiums to prevent matches involving the Bangladeshi player,” they stated, as quoted by News 18, accusing Indian authorities of ignoring the “persecution" of Hindus in Bangladesh while allowing its athletes to compete domestically.

The threats are linked to two specific incidents in Bangladesh. In Mymensingh district on December 18, Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was lynched and set on fire by a mob over blasphemy allegations, which subsequent investigations found no direct evidence for.

Days later, on December 24, another Hindu man, Amrit Mondal, was beaten to death in Rajbari district over separate accusations.

Adding his voice to the outcry, Bageshwar Dham’s Dhirendra Shastri condemned the attacks as “unfortunate.” He warned that without intervention, Hindus in Bangladesh could face extinction, urging, “If Hindus there are not safe, they should be given refuge here.”

How IPL organisers need to tackle the Mustafizur Rahman situation

These threats now present a different kind of challenge that the IPL organisers might face ahead of the mega event, with possible unrest in Kolkata and in every state where KKR will be playing their away games.

In this scenario, even if a total boycott is not possible, Mustafizur Rahman might be rested for the initial few matches of IPL 2026 to cool down the religious heat.