The controversy and drama continue after Kolkata Knight Riders were asked to let go off Mustafizur Rahman by the BCCI. Now the Bangladesh Cricket Board has been instructed to get the T20 World Cup 2026 matches shifted from India to Sri Lanka by the Sports Ministry.
“As the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to put the entire matter in writing and explain it to the ICC,” Government advisor Asif Nazrul wrote in Bengali on his Facebook page.
“The board must make it clear that if a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, cannot play in India, then the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup.”
“I have also directed the board to formally request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka instead,” he further wrote.
NewsX had earlier reported that there has been no discussions about shifting the venues yet. Now, a BCCI source has insisted that the shift is next to impossible with just a month left for the tournament. “You can’t just change games at someone’s whims and fancies. It is a logistical nightmare. Think about opposition teams. Their air tickets, hotels are booked.”
“Also on all days there are three games each which means one game is in Sri Lanka. There is broadcast crew. So it will be easier said than done,” the BCCI source said.
Rahman was bought by Shah Rukh Khan co-owned KKR for INR 9.2 Cr. Shah Rukh Khan also faced criticism. Hindu seer Jagadguru Rambhadracharya slammed SRK and called him traitor.
“His (Shah Rukh’s) approach has always been as that of a traitor.” Pointing to atrocities on Hindus in the neighbouring country, Jagadguru Rambhadracharya called this move of the 60-year-old Bollywood icon anti-national and said, “It is unfortunate (Shah Rukh Khan took Bangladeshi cricketer in KKR for IPL 2026), but he will do so because he is considered a hero,” he said during an interview with PTI.
“His character has always been questionable and anti-national,” he added.
“The way Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there. Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh Khan, I’m calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India,” ANI quoted Sangeet Som as saying.
Earlier, religious leaders in Ujjain had issued a stark warning to disrupt Indian Premier League (IPL) matches by damaging pitches if Mustafizur Rahman is allowed to participate. Recent incidents in Bangladesh have sparked widespread outrage.
