Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:34am on 06 Jan 2026,Tuesday Sports
BCCI ordered Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from his IPL 2026 contract without consulting all board officials or IPL Governing Council members. The decision, made at the highest BCCI level, stunned officials who learned about it through media reports. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia cited "recent developments" when announcing Mustafizur's release, who was bought for INR 9.20 crore at auction. Bangladesh responded with an unprecedented nationwide IPL telecast ban. The move follows escalating bilateral tensions after Hindu minorities were attacked and killed in Bangladesh, including a Hindu man being lynched and burned. Bangladesh Cricket Board now seeks to shift T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka. (PC: AFP)