Will Mustafizur get his IPL money after KKR exit?

How much will Bangladesh ace pacer Mustafizur Rahman earn after being removed from the Indian Premier League?

That has been the burning question among fans since Kolkata Knight Riders announced that the Fizz had been released from their squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

KKR had won a bidding war against Chennai Super Kings at last month's IPL mini-auction to sign Mustafizur for INR 9.20 crore -- the highest amount ever paid for a Bangladesh cricketer in the league. However, that lucrative payday is now unlikely to materialise, with the 30-year-old not expected to receive any portion of the fee.

According to IPL auction regulations, Mustafizur's situation falls under the category of "force majeure" -- a contractual provision that allows parties to be excused from fulfilling obligations due to extraordinary circumstances beyond their control. In this case, KKR are not obliged to honour the contract as Mustafizur's removal was mandated by the BCCI.

This makes Mustafizur's case unique. His release was not triggered by injury or a player-led withdrawal, but rather by a BCCI directive stemming from external diplomatic and security "developments."

Under IPL rules, a player who withdraws from the tournament after being sold at the auction is banned for two seasons and forfeits his IPL fee. England batter Harry Brook, for instance, withdrew from the IPL in 2025 and was handed a two-year ban. Similarly, a player who is injured after the auction and fails to play a single match is also not entitled to any payment.

Mustafizur's case, however, does not fit either category. He was available for selection, did not pull out of the tournament and was not injured. Instead, he was released by KKR on the instructions of the BCCI, making the situation considerably more complex.

What would happen if Mustafizur were to seek compensation from KKR or the BCCI remains a topic of debate, though such a scenario appears highly unlikely. In cases where a player is forcibly withdrawn for non-cricketing reasons under a "force majeure" clause, it is the franchise -- not the player -- that receives compensation.

The league's operational guidelines state that when the BCCI formally removes a player from a squad on non-cricketing grounds, the franchise is entitled to a full refund of the player's auction price. Accordingly, KKR should receive a credit of INR 9.20 crore back into their purse.

This refund is crucial as it allows the franchise to enter the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP) or an accelerated replacement draft with their original financial strength intact. Without such compensation, KKR would effectively be penalised for circumstances beyond their control and left unable to find a replacement of Mustafizur's calibre.

Even so, questions remain over how matters might unfold if Mustafizur were to press for payment from either KKR or the BCCI -- an outcome that, for now, remains uncertain as the event remains as an unprecedented one in which a player signed from the auction was removed for political reasons