Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been dropped from the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders released him from their team after the BCCI instructed them to do so.
Mustafizur was bought for ₹9.20 crore in the auction, but he will now not be able to play in IPL 2026.
Mustafizur welcomed by PSL
Immediately after this, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) signed Mustafizur Rahman. The PSL confirmed this with a post on social media.
They wrote, “Batters better shake carefully… it’s going to Fizz in the #NewEra. Mustafizur Rahman joins HBL PSL 11!”
This season of the PSL will run concurrently with the IPL, starting in March. Mustafizur has played in the PSL before, for Lahore Qalandars in 2018. He will now participate in the PSL 11 draft and will be picked by a team.
The BCCI cited “recent developments” as the reason for Mustafizur’s removal but did not provide further details. This decision has caused considerable anger in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government stated that no clear reason was given and that it has hurt the sentiments of the people.
Bangladesh’s strong response
The Bangladesh Ministry of Information issued a notification. It stated, “No logical reason for such a decision (Rahman’s release) by the BCCI is known, and such a decision has saddened, hurt, and aggrieved the people of Bangladesh.”
Following this, Bangladesh banned the broadcasting of all IPL 2026 matches and programs. The IPL will no longer be shown there.
In addition, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has requested the ICC to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka.
The IPL season is scheduled to start in March, while the PSL also runs at the same time. Mustafizur will now be troubling batsmen with his bowling in Pakistan.
