 "Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman is set to represent his fifth IPL franchise next year after getting acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 9.2 crore. PTI")
Kolkata Knight Riders are facing calls to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their squad after buying the Bangladesh left-arm pacer for Rs 9.2 crore in the 2026 Indian Premier League auction in Abu Dhabi last week.
Social media is flooded with posts and comments slamming KKR for successfully bidding for Mustafizur despite rising anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh and the recent mob-lynching of a Hindu factory worker in Mymensingh, the latter leading to protests in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Here are some of the posts, some of which are calling for a boycott of KKR while others are slamming the BCCI for even allowing Bangladeshi players to register in the auction:
Mustafizur, who has also represented Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in the past, was the only Bangladeshi player picked by a franchise in this year’s auction. There were 13 Bangladeshi players in the mega auction in Jeddah last year, not one of whom got a contract, while the corresponding number for this year’s mini auction stood at seven.
Mustafizur’s IPL contract under scanner amid strained Indo-Bangladeshi ties
Relations between India and Bangladesh have been on the decline ever since Sheikh Hasina was overthrown as Bangladeshi Prime Minister in August last year , with Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus being installed as the leader of an interim government.
The BCCI had recently postponed India’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh , which was scheduled to take place in August after the Test tour of England, by a year due. While the board officially cited “scheduling convenience” as the reason for the decision, the rising anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh is widely believed to be the reason for the decision.
Things would then go from bad to worse following the killing of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in Dhaka earlier this month, leading to protests all over the nation with New Delhi being viewed as the perpetrator behind the assassination.
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It was after the mob lynching of 27-year-old factory worker Dipu Chandra Das , however, that Indo-Bangladeshi ties would hit rock bottom. Das was initially believed to be killed by a mob over the allegation of blasphemy despite authorities finding no evidence for the same.
According to a report on Dhaka Tribune, Das – who worked at Pioneer Knitwears Limited – had the allegations leveled against him following a factory dispute before being killed in a gut-wrenching manner.