Shah Rukh Khan and Mustafizur Rahman (Image Agency) Addressing the growing controversy surrounding Kolkata Knight Riders and the release of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman, former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan said the criticism leveled at co-owner Shah Rukh Khan is misplaced and removing one player is not enough.The issue escalated after the Board of Control for Cricket in India instructed KKR to drop Mustafizur Rahman from their team. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the decision and said the board had asked the Kolkata-based franchise to release the Bangladeshi left-arm pacer following the political and public backlash surrounding the development in Bangladesh.
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KKR later confirmed the release through an official media statement.Reacting to the situation, Wassan said that the controversy was an inevitable consequence of the unrest in Bangladesh, but stressed that the focus on Shah Rukh Khan was unfair. “Whatever happened has cascading effects and these things naturally had to happen in the backdrop of the Bangladesh riots. But blaming Shah Rukh Khan is unfair because he is not the sole owner of KKR and KKR were not the only team bidding for the player. Taking away the player will not change anything,” he told ANI.Wassan further questioned the logic of the move, adding: “And just removing one player will not fulfill our revenge. And I think we should grow up a bit and think about it.”He also addressed the wider debate surrounding politics and sport, saying the two cannot be completely separated. “People say that politics and sports are different, but they are not. And we should not compare the situation of India and Pakistan with India and Bangladesh,” Wassan said, calling for patience with the ongoing transformation in Bangladesh.
