India-Bangladesh cricketing relations hit an all-time low earlier this month, after the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman from a contract to play IPL 2026.
The franchise, which signed Mustafizur for INR 9.2 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction last month, obliged to the board’s diktat and let go of the left-arm quick from Bangladesh.
The move came amid the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh where minorities in the country have been attacked.
In response to the decision, Bangladesh's interim government directed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to seek a change of venue for the team's matches at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 that India will be hosting jointly with Sri Lanka.
While the BCB has formally requested a venue change citing security concerns in India, the International Cricket Council is yet to announce the final verdict.
Amid the ongoing tussle between BCB and BCCI, the presence of Bangladeshi umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat during the first India versus New Zealand ODI in Vadodara on Sunday (January 11) raised eyebrows.
The BCB, however, has clarified they have nothing to do with Sharfuddoula standing as a match official in an international fixture in India, and that the 49-year-old is simple performing his duty as an ICC-contracted umpire.
“He (Saikat) is ICC-contracted umpire and we are saying this clearly that he is not contracted with us (BCB),” Iftekhar Rahman, chairman of BCB’s umpire department, told Cricbuzz.
“Now, in our contract it is written that when he has any ICC assignment, he will automatically be on leave from us. It will be an automatic leave and I don’t need to give any NOC.
“In the job contract he has with me, it is written that if he has any ICC engagement, he must be automatically released. There is no authority for me to decide whether I give permission or not,” he added.
According to reports, the ICC is set to turn down BCB’s request to relocate their T20 World Cup 2026 games from India to Sri Lanka
The Bangla Tigers are scheduled to play their four group-stage matches in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai).
