Suvendu Adhikari backed BCCI's move asking KKR to drop Mustafizur Rahman, citing national interest. He alleged Hindus are targeted in Bangladesh and WB. BCB then decided not to send its team to India for the T20 World Cup 2026.
West Bengal legislative assembly LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the BCCI's directive to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman from its 2026 IPL team, saying that whatever the BCCI did is in the interest of the nation.
"Whatever BCCI did is in the interest of the nation as the nation is above all..," the BJP leader told reporters on Sunday.
Furthermore, he held the Yunus government responsible for the unrestful situation in Bangladesh, highlighting that the Hindus are also being targeted under Mamata Banerjee's government, similar to that of Bangladesh.
"Yunus government is responsible for all these incidents. There, Hindus are being targeted here also, the Mamata government is targeting Hindus... To control all this, a nationalist government is needed..."
Bangladesh Cricket Board Reacts
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to send its senior men's cricket team to India for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in India following a directors' meeting on Sunday, the Daily Star reported.
The BCB has also asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift Bangladesh's cricket team matches from India to Sri Lanka, the report citing a BCB official added.
Further, as per the Daily Star, BCB is expected to issue an official statement shortly.
KKR Confirms Rahman's Release
The development comes after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed on Saturday that the franchise has excluded Bangladeshi player Muztafizur Rahman from its Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 squad following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
A media advisory issued by the KKR stated, "Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL, as the regulator of IPL, has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season."
Earlier, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the apex cricket board had instructed the IPL franchise KKR to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman "due to the recent developments".
"Due to the recent developments which is going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh from their squad and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement," Devaijit Saikia told ANI.
Political Backlash Over Player's Inclusion
Notably, the inclusion of the Bangladesh player sparked a political backlash in India, particularly amid the recent targeting of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, and various opinions have been raised about Mustafizur's selection by KKR for the IPL 2026 season.
Mustafizur was picked up by the Kolkata-based franchise for a whopping Rs 9.20 crore at the IPL auction in December last year.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)