Who Is Mustafizur Rahman? The Bangladeshi Cricketer In The Spotlight Amid Controversy

Mustafizur Rahman: Ever since the Kolkata Knight Riders have picked Mustafizur Rahman during the IPL 2026 auction, the franchise and co-owner Shah Rukh Khan have been facing a backlash. The Bangladesh pacer was bought by KKR for INR 9.2 Cr. 

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. On December 18, in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh district, a 27-year-old Hindu garment worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was accused by some Muslim co-workers of making insulting remarks about Prophet Muhammad during an event for World Arabic Language Day. A mob later pulled him out of the Pioneer Knit Composite Factory, attacked him, and killed him. His body was later found near a highway.

Who Is Mustafizur Rahman?

Mustafizur Rahman has been one of Bangladesh’s most sought after bowlers in the past 7-8 years. The left-arm pacer has represented franchises like Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians in the past in IPL.

In 2012, the left-arm pacer had come to Dhaka to try out for a fast-bowling camp and soon caught the eyes of the coaches. He got admitted to the BCB’s pace foundation and was picked for 2014 U19 World Cup. In the later part of his career, Rahman became lethal with his slower delivery and has been picking up wickets with the help of this variation. 

The story behind discovering this variation is an interesting one. A senor player at Anamul Haque once challenged Mustafizur to bowl a slower delivery (cutter) during practice, leading to Mustafizur dismissing him.

He was picked for the one-off T20I against Pakistan and then, midway through 2015, for the ODI series against India. His debut match turned out to be a perfect day at the office as the left-hander scalped a fifer and helped the side clinch a comprehensive win. He ended up taking 13 wickets in the series. 

The 30-year-old has 31 Test wickets in 15 matches, has 177 scalps in 116 ODIs and 158 dismissals in 126 T20I matches. Mutsafizur has played 60 matches in IPL and has 65 wickets to his name at an economy of 8.13.

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Faces Huge Backlash As KKR Signs Bangladeshi Player Amid Violence Against Hindus, Actor Labelled A ‘Traitor’