Mustafiz dropped: Govt moves to suspend IPL broadcast

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed that the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Bangladesh be suspended in reaction to the exclusion of cricketer Mustafizur Rahman.

The ministry issued letters on the matter on Monday to Bangladesh Television (BTV) and other relevant broadcasters.

The letter said it had come to the authorities’ attention that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had directed the removal of Bangladesh’s star cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL), scheduled to begin on 26 March.

No logical justification for the BCCI’s decision is known. Such a decision has hurt, distressed and angered the people of Bangladesh.

In this situation, the letter requested that the broadcast or telecast of all IPL matches and related programmes be suspended until further instructions are issued.

Such a directive had been anticipated, as Law Adviser Asif Nazrul had earlier urged the Information and Broadcasting Adviser to take steps to halt the IPL broadcast in Bangladesh in reaction to Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion.

On Saturday, a day earlier, responding to the request to suspend the IPL broadcast, Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told journalists on Sunday that she was reviewing the legal basis—through which channel and in what manner such a decision should be taken.

She also said a situation had been created for her in this regard and that she would have to take some form of action, adding that remaining silent was not an option.

A day after those remarks by the information adviser, the Ministry of Information on Monday issued a letter instructing the relevant authorities to keep the IPL broadcast suspended.

Pacer Mustafizur Rahman was set to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in this year’s IPL. However, on 3 January, KKR dropped Mustafizur from the squad following instructions from the BCCI.

The decision triggered widespread reactions in Bangladesh. In the wake of the incident, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to travel to India to play in the T20 World Cup.