India even makes Bangladesh cricket into an enemy over the Mustafiz issue

What we understand as the “cricketing world” in reality revolves around this subcontinent. That is because the core economic market of cricket lies here. Matches played here, or the frenzy surrounding them, essentially define cricket itself.

The renowned Indian sociologist Ashis Nandy once said that in South Asia, cricket is not merely a sport, it is a “secular religion.” Amid the divides of religion and nationalism, cricket alone can bind the people of this region together. Politically too, cricket has functioned as a tool of diplomacy.

There was a time when one heard of “cricket diplomacy” helping to ease tensions between India and Pakistan. But as more balls have been bowled on the pitch, cricket in this region has increasingly been turned into a political instrument amid contested geopolitical realities.

After India and Pakistan, is Bangladesh’s name now set to be added to that list? The question has arisen now because, at the directives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Bangladesh’s cricket star Mustafizur Rahman has been dropped from the world’s biggest cricket league, the IPL, held in India. The incident has also raised questions about the security of Bangladeshi cricketers at the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in India in February.

“Don’t mix politics with sport” has become a much-discussed and hotly debated refrain on social media in recent years. But no matter how much we may wish to view sport purely as a matter of recreation, is it really possible to keep it entirely outside politics?

In India, cricket has also become one of the instruments of Hindutva politics. That is why the attitude shown by Hindutva political groups in India toward Pakistani cricket has now been mirrored in the case of Mustafiz as well.

The decision to drop Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL has been welcomed by leaders of India’s ruling party, the BJP, as well as by Hindutva religious figures. Some of them have even described it as a victory for Hindus across India.

At the IPL auction, Mustafiz was picked up for 92 million rupees by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the team owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. However, even before the tournament began, the BCCI issued instructions for him to be dropped from the squad.

Yet just last month, there was intense competition over Mustafiz at the IPL auction. Even then, discussions had already emerged over whether he would actually be able to play in this year’s IPL. Some Hindutva organisations and leaders had demanded that he be excluded. There were even threats to damage the pitch if Mustafiz was not dropped. Shah Rukh Khan was branded a “traitor” by BJP leaders for signing Mustafiz.

Why these threats, and then the directives to drop him? Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina in the 2024 mass uprising and her subsequent fleeing to India, Bangladesh’s diplomatic relations with that country have steadily deteriorated. The developments of the past year and a half have made it abundantly clear just how low diplomatic, trade and cultural relations between the two countries have sunk.

At the same time, India, one of the most internationally criticised countries for minority persecution, has seen a series of attacks on minorities within its own borders. Instead of addressing this, it has allowed such incidents to escalate while indulging in divisive politics over minority issues in a neighbouring country.

Amid the chaos that India continues to generate on one front after another, one question inevitably arises: why, even after a year and a half, is India still unable to accept the reality of Sheikh Hasina’s fall?

On Wednesday, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Bangladesh to pay his last respects following the death of Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s three-time prime minister and a leader known for her uncompromising stance. The very next day, after a gap of nearly four years, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi to express condolences over Khaleda Zia’s passing. Diplomats view both developments as significant. In their assessment, with Bangladesh’s election approaching, Delhi is keen to move bilateral relations forward.

So why, in such a context, did the directive to drop Mustafiz come? Some Indian cricket stars have suggested that the decision to exclude Mustafiz must have been taken under pressure from higher authorities. Does this mean that the Mustafiz issue has pushed India-Bangladesh diplomatic relations into yet another phase of strain? If that happens, it must be said that prospects for improving Bangladesh–India relations, so vital for the interests of the peoples of both neighbouring countries in terms of ties, communication, trade, agriculture, and production, will face even greater uncertainty.

When politics enters the arena of sport, it is the game itself that suffers. Athletes on the field never want politics to interfere with their sport. Beyond that, the economy surrounding the game and the livelihoods of countless people, jobs and income linked to it, also take a hit.
The IPL’s popularity and commercial impact in Bangladesh are significant. Being cricket-crazy, Bangladesh is one of the IPL’s largest markets outside India. Mustafiz is one of Bangladesh cricket’s biggest stars. The participation of Mustafiz and other top Bangladeshi players in the IPL draws special attention from cricket fans in the country.

The decision to exclude Mustafiz for political reasons will not be received well by the people of Bangladesh. It will anger cricket fans even more. As a result, Bangladeshi audiences may begin turning away from the IPL. It would be no surprise if the impact grows even larger.

The IPL has faced declines before due to contentious geopolitical realities. Economically, the league itself has borne the cost. Pakistani cricket stars are already banned from the IPL because of disputes with Pakistan. Now, by turning Bangladesh cricket into an “adversary” as well, how much will India be able to preserve the IPL’s appeal and prestige?

One of the major complaints from neighbouring countries is that India seeks to dominate them like an older brother. In academic terms, this is called the “Big Brother Syndrome”; in Indian media parlance, it is referred to as dadagiri (bullying).

There has long been an allegation that India directly or indirectly supports a particular party in the elections of neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh. At times, this has put India’s diplomacy in these countries under significant challenge. Questions have also been raised about India’s diplomatic failures: is India itself inciting anti-India sentiment in its neighbours?

According to domestic and international media and political analysts, India bears significant responsibility for the way Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League has remained in power through three controversial elections, which helped transform the government into what many perceive as authoritarian.
After keeping Sheikh Hasina’s government in power, and following her removal from office and flight to India, anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has now reached heights unseen in the past. There is no doubt that the Mustafiz issue will add further fuel to Bangladesh’s anti-India sentiment.

India’s Hindutva and nationalist politics have already leveraged anti-Pakistan sentiment in cricket for their own benefit. Now, there is ample reason to question whether anti-Bangladesh sentiment will be added to the mix.

If, after Pakistan, India uses Bangladesh cricket as a tool for political revenge, the soft power India had built around cricket in the subcontinent will take a serious hit, there is no doubt about that.

* Rafsan Galib is assistant editor, Prothom Alo. Email: [email protected]
* The views expressed here are the author’s own.