‘What is the fault of that poor player?’ Omar Abdullah asks after removal of Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman from IPL
Omar Abdullah also warned that the move could instead further deepen mistrust instead of helping improve the situation for the minorities in the neighbouring country.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday, January 6, questioned the sudden removal of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL), asking, “What is the fault of that poor player?” He also expressed concern over his removal and asked whether such decisions would improve the situation in Bangladesh or India's ties with the neighbouring country.
Omar Abdullah also warned that the move could instead further deepen mistrust instead of helping improve the situation for the minorities in the neighbouring country. He said the move was affecting the upcoming T20 World Cup being hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
What did Omar Abdullah say?
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Jammu, the J&K chief minister asked, “What is the fault of that poor player? I agree that our relations with Pakistan are very bad. What did the people of Bangladesh do to us?”
“All our relations with the people of Bangladesh were good. They are still good. Bangladesh did not spread terrorism in our country. They did not destroy us. We had close relations. Now that player has been sent out,” the chief minister told reporters.
“The people of Bangladesh say that they will not come to India and play. They say that their match will be held somewhere else.”
Omar Abdullah also suggested that sports and politics should be dealt with separately. “What is the fault of this player? He was ready to play. His team did not want to remove him, which is evident from its statement. They were forced to remove him. Neither did this player want to go, nor did his team want to send him back," he said.
“Pressure came from above and they removed him. Why? Will the situation in Bangladesh be better by removing him? Will our relations with that country be better? They will not be. On the contrary, they will get worse. So what has changed?” the chief minister asked.
Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after being instructed to do so by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amidst heightening diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
In retaliation, the interim government of Bangladesh indefinitely imposed a ban on the broadcast of the IPL. Mustafizur Rahman was bought for ₹9.20 crore during the IPL 2026 mini auction last December in Abu Dhabi.
(With agency inputs)
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