Mustafizur maintained composure amid IPL controversy, claims Ashraful
Sylhet: Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful revealed that pacer Mustafizur Rahman is unperturbed by the recent events surrounding his release from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The fast bowler was released from the KKR team following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to the tense situation between the two countries.
Now, Ashraful, who is the assistant coach of the Rangpur Riders in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), said that Mustafizur is not too upset by the IPL’s decision to release him and is currently focusing on his BPL assignment with the Riders.
“He (Mustafizur) is completely calm. He is not bothered at all by anything off-field – be it the BCB, India, the BPL, or the ICC,” Ashraful told reporters after the Riders’ match against the Chittagong Royals. Bangladesh’s current batting coach, Ashraful, said, “Right now he’s focused on playing for Rangpur Riders, and after that, he’ll focus on whatever assignment comes his way. He’s a different level of person. If you look at Mustafizur in the first two matches, his performance was a little below expectations, but especially the way we won the last match against Dhaka was a great win. And the way Mustafizur bowled the last two overs – I think he’s a world champion for this format, he’s that important.”
Following the BCCI’s decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) called an emergency board meeting on Sunday afternoon and later said it had officially requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move all its matches for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup outside India, citing safety and security concerns.
India and Sri Lanka are scheduled to co-host the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from February 7 to March 8, with matches taking place across multiple venues in both countries.
Bangladesh’s refusal to play in India threatens to disrupt the tournament schedule, as their schedule includes matches against the West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, England on February 14 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, and Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
