Bangladesh retaliates after Mustafizur Rahman's IPL ouster, plans major move to thwart India.

Mustafizur Rahman Row: Bangladesh has retaliated after Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the IPL following directives from the BCCI. Government advisor Asif Nazrul has requested the advisor to Bangladesh's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ensure that the broadcast of the IPL is stopped in the country.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have removed Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL (Indian Premier League) team following directives from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This has not gone down well with Bangladesh. Government advisor Asif Nazrul stated, "We will not tolerate any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers, or Bangladesh under any circumstances. The days of slavery are over." He added that Bangladesh has requested the shifting of its T20 World Cup league matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns for the players. Furthermore, a request has been made to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to suspend the broadcast of the IPL in Bangladesh.

Emergency Meeting Called After Mustafizur's Removal

Nazrul mentioned that he has urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting advisor of Bangladesh to ensure that the IPL is not broadcast in the country. Following an emergency board meeting convened after Mustafizur's removal, BCB President and former Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam Bulbul refrained from making any public comments. However, Asif Nazrul reiterated that he has instructed the board to contact the ICC, led by Jay Shah, and direct them to shift Bangladesh's four league matches (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai) to Sri Lanka.

Instruction to Convince the ICC

He wrote on his Facebook page in Bengali, "As the advisor in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to submit the entire matter in writing and convince the ICC. The board must make it clear that if no Bangladeshi cricketer can play in India, then Bangladesh's national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup."

'Bangladesh's World Cup Matches Should Be in Sri Lanka'

He further wrote, "I have also instructed the board to formally request that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka." It is worth noting that Bangladesh's four league matches are against West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9), and England (February 14) in Kolkata, followed by their final group match against Nepal (February 17) in Mumbai.

Shifting Matches is Extremely Difficult

Meanwhile, a BCCI source emphasized in a report that such a change, just one month before the tournament begins, is nearly impossible. "You cannot change matches at someone's whim and fancy. It's a logistical nightmare. Think about the opposition teams. Their flight tickets, hotels are booked. Also, there are three matches on all days, meaning one match in Sri Lanka. There's the broadcast crew too. So, it's easy to say, but difficult to do."