Bangladesh refuses to play World Cup matches in India:Bans IPL broadcast; did BCCI make a mistake by asking KKR to drop Mustafizur?

The Bangladesh cricket team will not travel to India to play the T20 World Cup. The Yunus-led government has also imposed a ban on the broadcast of the IPL in Bangladesh. These steps were taken after Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL. To remove Mustafizur, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued instructions to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Congress MP Shashi Tharoor termed the BCCI’s decision absurd and shameful. He said Bangladesh is not Pakistan and that cricket should be kept separate from politics. Such actions, he added, weaken India’s diplomacy. So, why was Mustafizur removed from the IPL? Was the BCCI’s decision right or wrong? And should Bangladesh be treated like Pakistan? We explain in today’s explainer. Why did India remove Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL?
After the killing of anti-India leader Usman Hadi, violence erupted again in Bangladesh. In two weeks, four Hindus were killed. This triggered anger among Hindutva organisations in India. Meanwhile, in the IPL season starting on 26 March, KKR had included Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman in their squad. Storyteller Devkinandan said, “Hindus are being brutally killed in Bangladesh. Their sisters and daughters are being raped. How can anyone be so cruel as to include a cricketer from that very country in their team?” BJP leader Sangeet Som even called KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan a traitor, alleging that he supports Bangladesh at times and Pakistan at others. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam appealed to Shah Rukh Khan, saying that when the entire country is angry and upset over Bangladesh, KKR should drop the Bangladeshi player. As the controversy escalated, the BCCI instructed KKR to remove Mustafizur from the team. On 3 January, KKR announced this through a social media post. KKR can now sign a replacement player. Mustafizur had been bought for ₹9.2 crore. The bidding for Mustafizur had initially been opened by Delhi Capitals (DC). KKR entered the bidding at ₹5.40 crore. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also bid up to ₹9 crore. What steps did Bangladesh take in protest against Mustafizur’s removal from the IPL? After Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL, Bangladesh took three major steps: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cancelled Mustafizur’s NOC (No Objection Certificate) for the IPL. This means that even if another team wants to sign him, Bangladesh will not allow him to play. On 4 January, the BCB held an emergency meeting and announced that, due to security concerns, Bangladesh would not send its players to India for the T20 World Cup under the current circumstances. All Bangladesh matches should be held in Sri Lanka. On 5 January, Bangladesh’s interim government imposed a ban on the broadcast of the IPL in Bangladesh. India and Sri Lanka will jointly host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be held from 7 February to 8 March 2026. According to the schedule, Bangladesh is supposed to play all its group-stage matches in India—three at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 7, 9 and 14 February, and one at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on 17 February. If the ICC accepts the BCB’s request, Bangladesh will become the second country after Pakistan whose matches are held outside India. Did the BCCI make a mistake by dropping Mustafizur from the IPL? Shashi Tharoor described the BCCI’s decision as needless politicisation of cricket. According to him: India and Bangladesh share ties in many areas, so why target a player who has never spoken against India? From a cricketing perspective, the decision is baffling because the BCCI itself provided a registered pool of players. KKR selected a player from that pool—how is that KKR’s fault? The decision appears to be a hasty one, taken without proper thought, possibly in response to social media outrage. He said this damages India’s image, weakens its diplomacy, hurts bilateral relations, and diminishes India’s culture as an open-minded and broad-thinking nation. Bangladeshi TV channel NTV’s sports editor, Barshan Kabir, said that both dropping Mustafizur from the IPL and Bangladesh refusing to play in India are political decisions. Former cricketer Madan Lal said, “Too much politics is entering cricket. I don’t understand where sport is heading. Players suffer because of this.” Former cricketer Atul Wassan supported the decision, saying the BCCI acted keeping Indian cricket fans in mind. Politics has given it the wrong angle, while Bangladesh decided not to come to India for security reasons. Relations are not that bad, and restrictions will be lifted once the situation improves. Bhaskar sports editor Vikram Pratap Singh outlined both sides: First, India released Mustafizur under public pressure. If India–Bangladesh matches do not take place, Bangladesh will suffer more financially. Second, if Bangladesh also stops playing cricket in India after Pakistan, it sends a message that India intimidates its neighbours. What other restrictions has India imposed on Bangladesh recently? In recent months, India has imposed various restrictions on Bangladesh for security and administrative reasons, affecting trade and transportation: Bangladesh used Indian ports to export goods to Nepal and Bhutan. India stopped this in May 2025. On 11 August 2025, India banned the import of jute fabric, jute bags and ropes from Bangladesh through all land ports. Imports are now allowed only via the Nhava Sheva Seaport (JNPA) in Maharashtra. After violence resumed in Bangladesh, the Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka was temporarily shut around 17 December 2025. Centres in Khulna and Rajshahi were closed the next day, and services in Chattogram were suspended from 21 December. On 17 December 2025, movement from sunset to sunrise near the international border in Assam’s Cachar district was restricted to prevent illegal infiltration, smuggling and potential security threats.
Is India now treating Bangladesh like Pakistan? After the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, India stopped playing bilateral cricket series with Pakistan, and Pakistani players were barred from the IPL. Relations worsened further after the 2019 Pulwama attack and the 2025 Pahalgam attack, halting sports and political engagement. Former diplomat J. K. Tripathi said India’s decision to bar Mustafizur was driven by social media protests and that Bangladesh is not yet being treated like Pakistan. Despite strained relations after a regime change, trade has grown over the past year, and India has agreed to send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh. Delhi University economics professor Abhas Kumar said the restrictions imposed on Bangladesh are not like those on Pakistan but part of a diplomatic strategy to register a protest against Bangladesh’s decisions. Shashi Tharoor reiterated that Bangladesh is not Pakistan—it does not send terrorists to India—and the two relationships are entirely different. How justified are India’s restrictions on Bangladesh? J. K. Tripathi said India’s policy is to support all smaller neighbours except Pakistan. Even when Mohamed Muizzu came to power in the Maldives and opposed India, New Delhi continued its support rather than imposing sanctions, and relations have since improved. India is following a similar approach with Bangladesh. JNU international studies professor Rajan Kumar said there is currently an anti-India mood in Bangladesh, causing tensions. India should try to resolve the issue through dialogue; only if talks fail should major sanctions or military action be considered. How will the BCCI respond to Bangladesh’s decision not to come to India?
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka. The ICC chief is Jay Shah, a former BCCI president. If the ICC agrees, the BCCI will have to arrange Bangladesh’s three group-stage matches in Sri Lanka. However, sports editor Vikram Pratap Singh says the BCCI did not want to act against Mustafizur. Jay Shah may try to persuade Bangladesh through dialogue to play in India. If political relations improve even slightly in the next couple of months, Mustafizur may return to the IPL and Bangladesh could also travel to India for the World Cup. Research support: Aishwarya Raj