Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal has finally broken his silence on Mustafizur Rahman’s streak ahead of the ongoing release, which also has implications for the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20. After he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping price in a mini-auction last December ₹9.20 crore, the three-time champions were ordered by the BCCI to remove the Bangladeshi pacer from the world’s richest league.
“I would just say it was unfortunate. Other than that, I don’t have much knowledge,” Dhumal said, according to the Financial Times. After Mustafizur bought KKR, several religious institutions pointed fingers at team owner Shahrukh Khan and even called the Bollywood superstar a “traitor”.
The remarks came amid tensions between India and Bangladesh. On January 3, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia cited “recent developments” behind his recall. “Due to recent developments happening across the board, the BCCI has instructed the KKR franchise to drop one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their team,” Saikia said.
While the decision on Mustafizur is believed to have come from the top level, Dhumal reiterated that the Indian government does not interfere in the day-to-day running of cricket. “I would say it’s unfortunate the way things go at times. I don’t think the government has any interest or any role to play in the day-to-day running of cricket.”
“The government supports cricket as a whole,” added Dhumal. “But yes, sometimes events happen around us and decisions follow. I’m sure common sense will prevail and that won’t be the case in the future.”
Consequences of Mustafizur Rahman’s removal
As a result, the decision did not go down well with the Bangladesh government. Following Mustafizur’s removal from the IPL, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send its players to India to play in the 2026 T20 World Cup and urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its games to Sri Lanka. However, BCB remained adamant and thus forced the ICC to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in this mega event.
Throughout the episode, KKR stated that Mustafizur’s dismissal was in accordance with BCCI guidelines. Left out of the IPL, Mustafizur then signed with Lahore Qalandars for PKR 6.44 million (approx ₹2 million crowns). So far, Mustafizur has taken two wickets in PSL 2026 in two matches.
Mustafizur Rahman in IPL
After making his IPL debut with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, he played for four more teams in the tournament – Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, taking a total of 65 wickets in 60 matches.
In IPL 2025, Mustafizur played just three matches for Delhi Capitals for four wickets. The major highlight of his IPL career came in 2016 when he took 17 wickets in 16 matches and played a key role in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s title-winning campaign.
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