The government has ordered a suspension of all broadcasts and coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the exclusion of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders team.
The announcement was made on Tuesday (December 5) in a notice issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, signed by Assistant Secretary Firoz Khan.
The notice stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had removed Bangladesh’s star player Mustafizur Rahman from Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL, set to begin on March 26, 2026. No reasonable justification for this decision has been provided, and it has caused pain, disappointment, and anger among the Bangladeshi public.
In this context, the government has directed that all IPL matches and related programs remain suspended from broadcast until further notice. The order has been issued in the public interest with approval from the appropriate authorities.
Mustafizur Rahman had been acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹9.2 crore in this year’s IPL auction. Indian hardline Hindu nationalist groups had protested his inclusion, citing alleged persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, which reportedly influenced the BCCI’s decision to exclude the Bangladeshi pacer from the squad. Following this directive, Kolkata Knight Riders released him from t
he team.
