Bangladesh will not play their T20 World Cup matches in India after its cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the countries.
Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by India’s cricket board (BCCI). 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), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift its team’s games to Sri Lanka.
“The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” a BCB statement read.
It said its decision was made due to “growing concerns regarding the safety and security” of its players, and based on its government’s advice.
“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.”
After the BCB’s emergency meeting, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said, “We welcome this decision taken in the context of the extreme communal policy of India’s cricket board.”
Earlier, Nazrul had said, “We will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances.”
“The days of slavery are over,” he had said.
Nazrul said he had ordered the BCB to inform the ICC that “where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup”.
Nazrul said he would also ask that the IPL be blocked from Bangladeshi broadcasters. “I have requested the information and broadcasting adviser to stop the broadcasting of the IPL tournament in Bangladesh,” he said.
Kolkata Knight Riders, majority-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, subsequently said that Mustafizur’s “release has been carried out following due process and consultations”.
BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul told reporters late on Saturday: “The dignity and security of our cricketers are our top priorities, and we will take a decision at the appropriate time keeping these in mind.”
Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was snapped up at auction in December by Kolkata for more than $1 million.
But BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said that “considering recent developments”, Kolkata had been “advised to release” the 30-year-old player.
The developments come against the backdrop of soured political relations between India and Bangladesh 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 “unremitting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.
Last year, the ICC allowed India to play Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates due to sour relations with hosts Pakistan.
Pakistan will also play all their matches of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, as part of a deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments. On Sunday, cricket news site Cricbuzz reported that the BCB would ask the BCCI for a formal explanation regarding Mustafizur’s release.
The ICC did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.