Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were forced to release their Bangladeshi recruit Mustafizur Rahman before the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The development came in on Saturday after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directed the three-time IPL champions to let go Mustafizur, amid the ongoing political storm.
An experienced campaigner in IPL, Mustafizur was bought by KKR during the IPL 2026 mini auction last month in Abu Dhabi for 9.20 crores, to fill the void created by Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc’s departure. Mustafizur also bowls left-arm.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were forced to release their Bangladeshi recruit Mustafizur Rahman before the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The development came in on Saturday after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directed the three-time IPL champions to let go Mustafizur, amid the ongoing political storm.
An experienced campaigner in IPL, Mustafizur was bought by KKR during the IPL 2026 mini auction last month in Abu Dhabi for 9.20 crores, to fill the void created by Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc’s departure. Mustafizur also bowls left-arm.
Pressure was on BCCI over Mustafizur’s participation in IPL 2026 after a recent killing if a Hindu man in Bangladesh and India’s expression of concern for the safety of minorities there. The criticism extended to KKR co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan with some politicians questioning the decision to include Mustafizur in the side.
Confirming the release of Mustafizur, KKR said in a statement that the cricketer has been let go following due process and consultations, upon the instruction of the BCCI. “BCCI will allow Kolkata Knight Riders a replacement player in line with IPL regulations, and further details will be communicated in due course,” KKR said.
KKR’s full squad for IPL 2026
Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep.
