Till December 31, when InsideSport reached out to BCCI, the Indian board was not contemplating a ban on Mustafizur Rahman or Bangladeshi players in IPL 2026. They were monitoring the situation and were ready to comply if the Indian government asked for it. But, within 48 hours, things took a drastic turn. BCCI imposed a ban on Rahman and directed Kolkata Knight Riders to release the pacer from their squad on January 3. However, not all BCCI officials, including IPL governing council members, were in the know-how of the ouster. Instead, some of the officials only got to know of the situation from media reports.
“We ourselves got to know about this through the media. There was no discussion. No suggestion was taken from our side,” the Indian Express quoted a top BCCI official
BCCI buckles under pressure?
But what did change in those 48 hours that the BCCI took the U-turn? On January 1, Hindu spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur called for the ouster of Mustafizur Rahman from IPL, adding that the money should be given to the relatives of the Hindu children as an apology.
On January 2, the United Hindu Front (UHF), a pro-Hindu advocacy group, staged a protest in New Delhi. They also burned the effigy of Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders. The tensions escalated following the atrocities on Hindu minority in Bangladesh. Two Hindu youth were lynched to death.
And on Day 3, BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia announced that Mustafizur Rahman was ousted from IPL following “recent developments”. Neither Saikia nor any BCCI official cared to offer an explanation on the recent developments. In fact, there was no meeting or any discussion regarding Rahman.
While no BCCI official has clarified whether there was pressure or a request from the government to release Rahman, it is clear that there was more to that decision. Whether BCCI top brass gave in to demands from pro-Hindu groups or a government request, it did more damage to its image. BCCI could have asked the franchises not to pick any Bangladeshi player, or could have omitted them from the IPL auction shortlist.
Instead, the Indian board picked a path that wouldn’t have gone down well. As a result, Bangladesh retaliated, asking the ICC to shift its T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India. Bangladesh also suspended the IPL 2026 broadcast.
Mustafizur Rahman timeline
- December 16, 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) buy Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction. It had to bid out Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. He becomes the sole Bangladeshi player in the tournament.
- December 2026: Atrocities on Hindu minorities continue in Bangladesh as two Bangladeshi nationals were lynched to death by violent mobs.
- December 2026: Pro-Hindu groups and some fans in India begin demanding a ban on Bangladeshi players from IPL 2026.
- January 1, 2026: Hindu spiritual leader slams BCCI and KKR for picking Mustafzur Rahman and demands his ouster from IPL
- January 2, 2026: United Hindu Front stages a protest in New Delhi against BCCI and KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan, demanding Rahman’s ban.
- January 3, 2026: Amid growing criticism in India from political and religious groups over his inclusion, the BCCI instructs KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman from their squad, citing “recent developments.” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirms the directive but provides no further details publicly.
- January 3, 2026: KKR issues an official statement confirming the release of Mustafizur Rahman, following BCCI’s instructions as the IPL regulator. The franchise is permitted to sign a replacement player.
- January 4–5, 2026: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) revokes Mustafizur Rahman’s No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the IPL, effectively barring him from participation even if reconsidered.
- January 4, 2026: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) writes to ICC, demanding that its T20 World Cup matches be moved out of India to Sri Lanka.
- January 5, 2026: The Bangladesh government imposes an indefinite ban on the broadcast and telecast of IPL 2026 matches and related programming in the country, citing the exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman without a stated rational reason.
