India’s cricket relationship with Bangladesh may be like Pakistan

Suryakumar Yadav and Nazmul Hossain Shanto.

Due to the ongoing political crisis, there are fears that India's bilateral cricket relationship with Bangladesh may face a situation like Pakistan's, according to a report by the popular Indian media Indian Express. Due to this uncertainty, India's tour of Bangladesh scheduled for the end of this year has been postponed for now. The report even mentions that the two teams may have to face each other only at neutral venues in future ICC global events.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had announced in a press release on Friday that the Indian team will tour Bangladesh to play three ODIs and three T20 matches in the first week of September. However, in view of the recent political situation across the border, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postpone the series for now and will seek the approval of the Indian government before taking a final decision.

BCCI sources said that the BCB will be informed of the matter in due course after receiving the decision of the Indian government. However, it is believed that this political crisis will not affect Bangladesh's participation in the T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka in February.

A top BCCI official said, "We did not tour Bangladesh last year either. At that time, the BCB had published the international calendar, but if we want to play outside India, we need the government's approval. So the matter is uncertain. However, in the case of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh will play in India as per the scheduled schedule."

On the same day that the decision was made to postpone the series, the BCCI instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL team. KKR had bought the 30-year-old pacer for Rs 9.5 crore in the IPL auction last December.

KKR co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan also came to the center of controversy over the Mustafiz issue. Several political leaders have demanded that Mustafizur Rahman be dropped from the three-time IPL champion team's squad.

Hindu religious leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya called Shah Rukh Khan 'anti-national' and said, "He (Shah Rukh) has no character. It is unfortunate that Shah Rukh Khan has taken a Bangladeshi cricketer to KKR for the IPL. He does this because he considers himself a hero. His position with the country has always been contradictory. His character has always been questionable and anti-national."

Shiv Sena leader Anand Dubey also attacked Shah Rukh Khan and said, "We will not let Mustafizur Rahman play at any cost. If Shah Rukh Khan plays him and earns money, that money will be used to conspire and promote terrorism against our country; we will not allow this to happen."

Later, Kolkata also dropped Mustafiz from the squad as per the BCCI's instructions. KKR said in a statement, "As the governing body of the IPL, the BCCI/IPL has directed us to drop Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming IPL season. This decision has been implemented through due process and consultation as per the instructions."

Regardless, India's cricket relations with Pakistan have been suspended for a long time due to political reasons. India does not play in Pakistan, the last bilateral series between the two countries was in the 2012-13 season. Currently, both teams play only in ICC or ACC tournaments. However, Pakistan has not been playing on Indian soil in recent times. As a result, these two teams are facing each other at a neutral venue. The Indian Express fears that India's cricket relations with Bangladesh may also be like this.