Mustafiz release decision made without BCCI officials’ knowledge

Agency :

The decision to ask IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was taken unilaterally at the highest level of the BCCI, without consulting the IPL Governing Council or league administrators, according to The Indian Express.

Even senior IPL officials said they learned about the move through media reports.
“We ourselves came to know about this through the media. There was no discussion and no suggestion was taken from our side,” the official was quoted as saying.

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia later confirmed that KKR were instructed to release Mustafizur due to “recent developments.”

The decision led Bangladesh to reconsider travelling to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup and triggered strong reactions back home.

In response, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned the broadcast of IPL matches, stating that the move had hurt public sentiment.

Mustafizur, who was bought by KKR for Rs 9.20 crore, making him the most expensive Bangladeshi player in IPL history, had earlier been granted an NOC by the BCB at BCCI’s request.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, with Bangladesh scheduled to play all their group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.