Indian Premier League chairman Arun Dhumal has addressed the controversial decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to force Kolkata Knight Riders to release Musafizur Rahman. Earlier in February, months after the Bangladesh pacer was bought by the three-time champions in the IPL 2026 mini-auctions, the board had directed the franchise to release the pacer amid geopolitical tensions between India and Bangladesh. As a result, not only did BAN pull out of the T20 World Cup but the pacer opted to play in Pakistan Super League instead.
IPL chairman explains why Mustafizur Rahman was released
In an interview with Financial Times, IPL chairman Dhumal said that while the decision to release Rahman was an ‘unfortunate’ one, sometimes the government was forced to take a decision based on the situation. He explained that the government had no interest in running cricket in the country on a day-to-day basis. The IPL chairman expressed hope that such incidents will not take place going forward.
“It is unfortunate, I would say, the way things unfold at times. I do not think the government has any interest or any role to play in running cricket day to day. The government is supportive of cricket at large. But, yes, sometimes events happen around us and decisions follow. I am sure good sense will prevail and that this will not be the case going forward,” IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said.
Rahman was bought for Rs 9.20 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction by KKR. However, amid growing tensions between India and Bangladesh earlier this year, he was forced to be released by the franchise after being directed to do so by the BCCI. The move was widely criticised. Eventually, KKR named Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement in IPL 2026. Meanwhile, Rahman’s release resulted in Bangladesh demading their T20 WC 2026 games to be relocated from India citing security concerns for their players and eventually ended with the team being replaced by Scotland in the marquee tournament.
What KKR said
“Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL as the regulator of IPL has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The release has been carried out following due process and consultations, upon the instruction of the Board of Control of Cricket in India. BCCI will allow Kolkata Knight Riders a replacement player in line with IPL regulations, and further details will be communicated in due course.“
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Mustafizur Rahman's release from KKR 'unfortunate': IPL chairman breaks silence
