BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia on Saturday confirmed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad in light of the recent developments.
“Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad. If KKR asks for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement,” Saikia said.
#WATCH | Guwahati | BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia says, “Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad and BCCI has also said that if they ask… pic.x.com/53oxuRcmZp
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2026
Saikia also clarified that KKR will be allowed to sign a replacement player, should the franchise choose to do so, with the BCCI granting approval for the replacement.
This comes on the backdrop of the ongoing debates around including Bangladeshi players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) amid the criticism of the violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Many of the people from religious and political groups came around to criticise Shah Rukh Khan, who is the co-owner of the KKR, to remove Rahman from the team. KKR bought Rahman for 9.20 crore, making him the most expensive Bangladeshi player ever in IPL history.
KKR has confirmed that they abide by the BCCI’s directive to remove Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
KKR Media Advisory. pic.x.com/ZUZB620Uv7
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) January 3, 2026
Saikia also provided an update on India’s ODI squad announcement for the New Zealand series, confirming that the selection meeting is scheduled for this afternoon.
“As you know, from the 11th of January, India is going to play New Zealand in a three-match ODI series. Today we have a meeting with the selectors and in the afternoon we are going to announce the squad for the New Zealand series,” he added.
India and New Zealand will face off in a three-match ODI series starting January 11, 2026.
For the T20i five-match series scheduled to start on 21 January, Saikia said that one of the matches will be conducted in Guwahati.