The Bangladesh government on Monday ordered an indefinite ban on television broadcasts and promotion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the controversy surrounding the withdrawal of Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team. The star of the day reported.
The development comes after KKR on Saturday announced that it had released the Bangladesh bowler after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked him to do so.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play three T20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the February 7-March 8 tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday said after an emergency meeting that it had “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move its team’s matches to Sri Lanka.
A statement from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said it had “noted that no reason had been communicated for the decision behind the exclusion (from the IPL) of Mustafizur Rahman” and that the development had “caused distress among the people of Bangladesh”. Star of the day reported.
“In this context, a decision has been taken regarding the broadcast of IPL matches,” the statement said, adding that the decision was taken “in public interest”.
It was signed by the ministry’s deputy secretary Firoz Khan.
“There is no logical reason for this decision of the Indian Cricket Board and such a decision has upset, shocked and angered the people of Bangladesh,” the government statement further said, according to India today.
“A request has been made to stop the promotion/broadcast of all Indian Premier League (IPL) matches and events until further notice,” the statement added.
TV channels and streaming platforms have been broadcasting the Bangladesh IPL since its inception in 2008, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
This is also the first time that the Bangladesh government has banned the broadcast of an international cricket tournament anywhere in the world.
BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul told reporters on Saturday evening: “The dignity and safety of our cricketers are our top priorities, and we will take a decision at the appropriate time keeping this in mind.”
Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was bought at auction in December by Kolkata for over $1 million.
But BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that “in view of recent developments”, Kolkata had been “advised to release” the 30-year-old.
Deterioration of relations between India and Bangladesh
These developments come amid deteriorated political relations between India and Bangladesh after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024. overturned Sheikh Hasina, then Prime Minister, a close ally of New Delhi.
India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unrelenting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.
Last year, the ICC allowed India will play the Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates due to strained relations with hosts Pakistan.
Pakistan will also play all of its T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, under a deal that allows India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
Sunday, cricket news site Cricbuzz reported that the BCB would seek a formal explanation from the BCCI regarding the release of Mustafizur.
The ICC did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments.
