Was IPL governing council consulted on Mustafizur Rahman’s exit?

The decision to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has sparked widespread outrage, with multiple reports claiming that neither senior BCCI officials nor the IPL Governing Council were consulted before the decision was made.

Mustafizur was purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 9.20 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

However, just weeks later, the BCCI directed the club to remove the left-arm bowler from its roster. Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary, publicly confirmed the decision, noting that it was made in light of recent developments and that the board had instructed KKR to remove the Bangladesh international from their roster.

The judgement came amid rising political tensions between India and Bangladesh, following accusations of attacks on Hindu minorities in the neighbouring country. According to The Indian Express, the decision to release Mustafizur was made at the top level of the BCCI, without consulting several board members or the IPL Governing Council. A senior BCCI official was quoted as claiming that even those intimately involved with IPL operations were unaware of the decision until it was published in the media.

“We ourselves got to know about this through the media. There was no discussion. No suggestion was taken from our side,” the BCCI official said.