After Cricket fallout, will other sports exclude Bangladeshi players? Kapil Dev on PGTI’s position

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After the release of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the impact of rising political tensions between India and Bangladesh has begun to spill over into other sports as well.

Former India cricketer and current Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) President Kapil Dev confirmed that the board will hold a meeting to discuss the participation of Bangladeshi golfers in upcoming PGTI events. He clarified that no decision has been taken yet.

“There has been no decision yet regarding the participation of Bangladesh players in the PGTI. A board meeting will be held, after which the matter will be discussed and an update will be shared with everyone,” Kapil Dev told IANS.

Bangladeshi golfers Jamal Hossain, Md Siddikur Rahman, and Md Akbar Hossain are among the notable players currently competing on the PGTI Tour.

Kapil made the statement on the sidelines of the launch of ‘72 The League’, India’s first exclusive franchise-based national professional golf league. On Monday, the league announced the addition of the Noida-based UP Prometheans, owned by Prometheus School, founded in 2019.

The current diplomatic strain between the two neighbouring countries intensified following reports of mob violence against members of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, with several such incidents reported in recent weeks, prompting strong reactions from both governments.

Amid the unrest, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a directive to KKR, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, to release Mustafizur Rahman, who was bought for ₹9.20 crore at the IPL mini-auction. The BCCI also permitted the franchise to name a replacement.

In response, the Bangladesh government ordered a ban on the broadcast of all matches of the upcoming IPL season.

“It is hereby informed that a directive issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has come to notice, whereby Bangladesh’s star cricketer Mr Mustafizur Rahman has been excluded from the Kolkata Knight Riders team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament scheduled to commence on March 26, 2026. No reasonable justification for such a decision by the BCCI is known, and this decision has caused pain, distress, and anger among the people of Bangladesh,” read a statement from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Further escalating the situation, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate all of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches scheduled for February to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.

As political tensions increasingly influence sporting ties, the repercussions are becoming evident across disciplines. It remains to be seen whether the fallout will remain limited to cricket or extend further into other sports, affecting athletes and fans on both sides of the border.