‘Why interfere where you aren’t needed?’: Harbhajan Singh slams Pakistan for playing politics over Bangladesh row

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has criticised Pakistan for getting involved in the controversy surrounding Bangladesh’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking to PTI, he said Pakistan was unnecessarily “fishing in muddy waters” and trying to turn the issue into a 2-vs-1 scenario against India.

“Pakistan was fishing in muddy waters and trying the game of 2 vs 1. They are already are playing in Sri Lanka, this wasn’t their matter. Why interfere where you aren’t needed? In the end, it is Bangladesh cricket team and its players who are losing. The players missing out on a World Cup participation is massive,” Harbhajan said.

Bangladesh were removed from the tournament after refusing to play matches in India due to security concerns. The ICC replaced them with Scotland in Group C, which also includes England, West Indies, Nepal, and Italy. Pakistan has since expressed support for Bangladesh, with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly considering withdrawing Pakistan from the World Cup in solidarity.

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Harbhajan said the exclusion was a significant loss for Bangladesh from a cricketing perspective. “The Bangladesh team had a better chance of doing well on Indian tracks with quality spinners at their disposal. Had the T20 World Cup been played in England or Australia, they didn’t even stand a chance, but here they could have actually made it to the second round and maybe caused a few upsets in the Super Eights. So it’s no one’s loss but Bangladesh’s.”

What’s the controversy?

The issue began after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. Rahman was the only Bangladeshi player sold in the IPL 2026 auction. The BCCI’s decision is believed to have been influenced by political pressure following reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

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Soon after the BCCI’s decision, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) formally requested the ICC to relocate their World Cup games to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh’s interim government said that the removal of Rahman from IPL without any valid reason is an insult to the entire nation.

The BCB’s request was denied by the ICC, as the apex body found no threat in its security assessment of the venues. However, the Bangladesh board continued to insist that they wanted their games moved out of India, and the ICC was eventually forced to take a vote on the matter.

The vote went 14-2 against relocation, with only the BCB and PCB voting in favour. The ICC then asked Bangladesh to submit their response within 24 hours. When the BCB failed to do so, the ICC replaced them with Scotland, as decided in the vote.