Bangladesh suspends IPL broadcast

The Bangladesh interim government decided yesterday to suspend the broadcast of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, scheduled to start on March 26, until further notice.

In a press release issued by the country's TV-2 wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, it was stated that the directive by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to have Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman released from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad last Saturday for the upcoming IPL had come to the government's attention.

The press release -- signed by Assistant Secretary Mohammad Firoz Khan and sent to state radio agency Bangladesh Betar and various TV channels -- noted that no reason was communicated for the decision behind Mustafizur's exclusion, adding that it had caused distress among the people of Bangladesh.

"In this situation, it is hereby instructed that all broadcasts and telecasts of IPL matches and related programmes be suspended until further instructions are issued," the statement added.

The directive comes a day after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided not to send the national team to India for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7, considering the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and having heeded the advice of the Bangladesh government.

The BCB also requested the game's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), to consider relocating Bangladesh's matches outside India. In an attempt to accommodate the request, the ICC, under chairman Jay Shah, is already drafting a revised schedule, as per a report by The Indian Express yesterday.

Mustafizur's exclusion from the IPL caused widespread criticism across borders. Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul condemned the move, which he said was on political grounds, while Cultural Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki slammed Mustafizur's omission as "disgraceful". Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan described the incident as an "unfortunate" one, saying "politics was brought into the game."

Indian politician and current Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor termed this decision by BCCI an "unnecessary politicisation of a sporting matter," according to a report by The Indian Express yesterday. Earlier, Tharoor had also called out the BCCI for "deplorably" forcing Mustafizur's removal, reiterating that politics should not be dragged into sports.

Mustafizur fetched INR 9.20 crore at last month's mini-auction, making him the most expensive Bangladeshi player in IPL history. The removal of Bangladesh's only representative in this edition of the glamorous T20 league caused an immediate uproar among cricket-crazy Bangladeshi netizens.

Bangladesh are scheduled to take on the West Indies on the opening day of the World Cup at Kolkata's Eden Gardens -- also KKR's home ground, which had received threats of disruption from protesters if Mustafizur featured in the IPL.

The Tigers are also scheduled to play their next two games at the same venue on February 9 and 14 before moving to Mumbai for their final group-stage match on February 17.