Story byShweta SharmaTue, January 6, 2026 at 11:30 AM UTC·4 min readBangladesh has banned broadcasts of the IPL cricket league after one of its biggest sporting stars was effectively excluded from the competition. Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders, co-owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, following an order from the Indian cricketing authorities. It comes amid mounting tensions between the governments of India and Bangladesh, with relations plummeting since the popular uprising against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBangladesh Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the decision to drop Rahman had “pained, saddened, and aggrieved the people of Bangladesh”. The ministry noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had provided no reason for the exclusion of Rahman. This is the first time since the IPL began in 2008 that broadcasters will not be showing it in Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh have been locked in an escalating spiral of geopolitical and diplomatic tensions since the summer of 2024 when a mass uprising toppled the Hasina government and sent her fleeing to Delhi, where she continues to live close to the corridors of power, despite requests for her extradition from Dhaka. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe ousted leader was a close ally of India and bilateral relations have soured since she was replaced by an interim government. Tensions flared in December after a Bangladeshi Hindu man accused of blasphemy was beaten to death by a mob, sparking protests by Hindu groups across the border. Hundreds of people protested outside the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi last month over the killing and right-wing Hindu groups shouted slogans accusing Bangladeshi authorities of failing to protect minorities in the country. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus condemned the killing, declaring there was no place for violence in the country and that “the perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared”.
