The Bangladesh government has banned the telecast of Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) amid soaring tensions with India. The decision comes after the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman, citing growing unrest in different part of the country. Bangladesh now joins Pakistan to become the 2nd Asian country to ban the telecast and streaming of IPL.
Bangladesh bans broadcast of IPL 2026
“In exercise of the powers conferred by the relevant laws, the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has decided to issue the following directives to all television channels and radio stations operating within the country:
All television channels and radio stations are hereby directed to immediately suspend the broadcast and telecast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) throughout Bangladesh. This decision has been taken in response to the exclusion of the renowned Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad, which is considered an insult to the national pride and dignity of Bangladesh.
The aforementioned directive must be strictly complied with, and no television channel or radio station shall broadcast or telecast any IPL-related content until further notice from the government.
Any violation of this directive will be dealt with strictly under the relevant laws of the land,” an order from the Bangladesh government stated.
Earlier on Saturday, Bangladesh’s Adviser for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Asif Nazrul took to Facebook, to request Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to halt all coverage of the Indian cash-rich league after the BCCI decided to virtually ban Mustafizur. T Sports is the rights holder for IPL coverage in Bangladesh until 2027, having struck the deal with Viacom18 in 2023.
Apart from banning IPL 2026, Bangladesh has also sought the relocation of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka. The ICC is yet to respond to their plea, although a report stated that the global body isn’t willing to make a hasty decision.
