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A Bangladesh minister has hinted at lifting the IPL broadcast ban, imposed after Mustafizur Rahman’s abrupt release from KKR.
Bangladesh might be able to catch the IPL 2026 broadcast afterall. (AFP Photo)
A Bangladesh minister has hinted that the government might reconsider its ban on the Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast in the country, in effect since January. It was imposed in response to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asking Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from its IPL 2026 roster, without specifying any particular reason.
Aminul Haque, the state minister for youth and sports, said on Sunday that he’ll discuss it with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after the end of the Eid vacations in the country, adding that sports should neither be ‘politicised’ nor hamper the ‘friendly’ relations with India.
“We have not thought about it as yet. After the vacation ends, we will have to discuss it with the cricket board and try to figure out the actual picture and after knowing everything, we will take a decision,” Haque said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“We want to develop a friendly relationship (with India), and there shouldn’t be any other issue. Sports shouldn’t be politicised. We have to know why it (IPL) was closed (broadcasting in Bangladesh), and later we can make a decision,” he added.
The IPL 2026 season begins on March 22. The tournament is said to be popular in Bangladesh, where a good chunk of the population follows KKR, with the Eden Gardens not too far from Dhaka and the franchise having a history of Bangladeshi stars with it, including Shakib Al Hassan.
After KKR confirmed the BCCI’s decision, the Bangladesh Ministry of Information and Broadcasting wrote to several media houses in the country, saying it had ‘pained, saddened, and aggrieved’ the people of Bangladesh, and the ban on IPL broadcast was in ‘public interest’.
Rahman was signed for Rs. 9 crore, and was the only player from the country picked in the edition. The issue snowballed into Bangladesh’s refusal to travel for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Rahman has since signed for a team in the Pakistan Super League.
March 22, 2026, 22:33 IST
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