The action comes after India prompted fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman to pull out of the IPL due to political tensions
Bangladesh will ask for their T20 World Cup matches next month to be played in Sri Lanka. Photo: AFP
DHAKA:
Bangladesh will ask for next month’s T20 World Cup matches to be played in Sri Lanka after India forced a Bangladeshi player out of the Indian Premier League.
“We will not accept any insult towards Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances,” Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser to the caretaker government, said in a statement carried by state news agency BSS on Sunday.
“The days of slavery are over.”
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday after the IPL side was “advised” by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so following tensions between the neighboring nations.
Nazrul said he has instructed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“The board should make it known that where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite having a contract, the entire Bangladesh cricket team cannot feel safe to play in the World Cup,” he wrote.
“I have also instructed the board to ask for Bangladesh’s World Cup matches to be played in Sri Lanka.”
The T20 World Cup begins on February 7, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India.
Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of an agreement that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
Political relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.
India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “incessant hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, accused India of exaggerating the extent of the violence.
BCB chairman Aminul Islam Bulbul said the board would hold an emergency meeting later on Sunday.
“The dignity and safety of our cricketers are our top priorities and we will take a decision at the appropriate time keeping these in mind,” he told reporters late on Saturday.
Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was auctioned in December by Kolkata Knight Riders for more than $1 million.
However, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that “in view of recent developments” Kolkata had “advised to release” the 30-year-old.
The IPL 2026 season starts on March 26.
Nazrul said he will also demand that the IPL be banned by Bangladeshi broadcasters.
“I have asked the Information and Broadcasting Council to stop the telecast of the IPL tournament in Bangladesh,” he said.
Kolkata, which is majority-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, later said Mustafizur’s release “came through due process and consultations”.
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