On the directive of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders have dropped Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad.
India’s news outlet Indian Express reported that the decision was not taken through discussions among BCCI members. Nor was the matter discussed with the IPL governing council.
The news outlet has learned that the decision to drop Mustafizur was taken at the very top level of the BCCI. A senior BCCI official involved with the IPL told Indian Express, “We learned about the decision to drop Mustafizur from the media. There was no discussion. No opinion was sought from us either.”
When asked by the news outlet whether any board meeting had been convened to decide on dropping Mustafizur Rahman, or whether the IPL governing council had been informed of the matter, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia did not respond.
BCCI instructed the KKR franchise to release Bangladesh player Mustafizur Rahman from their squad due to recent developments, and if the franchise wants to replace the player, the board will also grant that approval, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told India’s news agency ANI, on 3 January in Guwahati.
Subsequently, citing security concerns, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided not to send the team to India for the T20 World Cup.
The BCB has also formally requested the ICC in writing to relocate Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches from India to another venue.
In this year’s IPL auction, Kolkata Knight Riders fiercely competed with Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals to secure Mustafizur Rahman.
The left-arm pacer was bought for INR 92 million, making him the most expensive Bangladeshi cricketer in IPL history.
Moreover, at the BCCI’s request, the BCB had granted Mustafizur a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play in the IPL.
The T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka will begin on 7 February. According to the current schedule, Bangladesh is set to face the West Indies in Kolkata on the opening day.
The three other group-stage matches will also be held in Kolkata and Mumbai.