SRK a ‘traitor’: Hindu seer slams Shah Rukh Khan over KKR signing Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026
Shah Rukh Khan faces backlash over KKR signing Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026. Hindu seer Jagadguru Rambhadracharya called SRK a traitor and alleged that this deal is in conflict with national interest.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been making headlines since his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise signed Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Hindu seer Jagadguru Rambhadracharya slammed SRK and called him a traitor over the recent IPL deal.
Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, in an interview with PTI, said, “His (Shah Rukh’s) approach has always been as that of a traitor.” Pointing to atrocities on Hindus in the neighbouring country, Jagadguru Rambhadracharya called this move of the 60-year-old Bollywood icon anti-national and said, “It is unfortunate (Shah Rukh Khan took a Bangladeshi cricketer in KKR for IPL 2026), but he will do so because he is considered a hero.”
Insisting that Shah Rukh Khan’s stance has consistently been at odds with the nation, he added, “His character has always been questionable and anti-national.”
The inclusion of a 30-year-old left-arm fast-medium bowler in the KKR squad met with criticism from several spiritual gurus and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, Congress MP Manickam Tagore strongly condemned the ‘traitor’ remarks and called the statement an “attack on India's pluralism”.
The Virudhunagar MP targeted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and urged it to stop “poisoning society”. In a post on X, Manickam Tagore on Thursday said, “Calling Superstar Shah Rukh Khan a ‘traitor’ is an attack on India's pluralism. Hate cannot define nationalism. RSS must stop poisoning society.”
Shah Rukh Khan faces backlash over KKR signing Bangladeshi pacer
Hindu spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur was one of the first to question KKR’s decision. The calls for a traitor ensued after BJP leader Sangeet Som labelled SRK a “traitor” over the IPL deal. Asserting that Shah Rukh Khan’s latest deal is in conflict with national interest, Sangeet Som further lashed out at the Bollywood star for investing money in players from a country he claimed was “working against India”.
“The way Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there. Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh Khan, I'm calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India,” ANI quoted Sangeet Som as saying.
"When the entire country is enraged and angry at Bangladesh, anyone in India who has even the slightest connection to Bangladeshis could become a target of that anger. If there is a Bangladeshi in Shah Rukh Khan's team, before he becomes a major target, we request that Shah Rukh Khan remove the Bangladeshi from his team. This will be for his own good and will also protect India's interests," Sanjay Nirupam told ANI.
Shiv Sena's Sanjay Nirupam requests SRK to remove Bangladeshi player from his team
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam requested KKR owner to remove the Bangladeshi player from his team.
While making suggestions and claiming it to align with nation's interests, he said, “When the entire country is enraged and angry at Bangladesh, anyone in India who has even the slightest connection to Bangladeshis could become a target of that anger.”
He added, “If there is a Bangladeshi in Shah Rukh Khan's team, before he becomes a major target, we request that Shah Rukh Khan remove the Bangladeshi from his team. This will be for his own good and will also protect India's interests,” ANI reported.
All India Muslim Jamaat President defends KKR's decision
National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi reacted to the recent controversy around KKR's IPL 2026 squad. Speaking with ANI, Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi said, “Devkinandan Thakur and Sangeet Som should understand that Indian Muslims are also concerned about the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and stand in solidarity with them, raising their voices in support of their protection and safety. In such a situation, if Shah Rukh Khan makes any agreement with a cricketer there, it is not an act of betrayal. This cannot be justified under any circumstances.”
IPL 2026 mini-auction
At the IPL 2026 mini-auction, held in Abu Dhabi, KKR struck a deal for Mustafizur Rahman, who was added to the squad for ₹9.2 crore. The Bangladeshi left-arm seamer, who has taken 65 wickets in 60 matches, made his IPL debut in 2016.