Following allegations that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) formally instructed Indian presenter Ridhima Pathak to leave the hosting panel of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2025-26), sports relations between Bangladesh and India have declined drastically.
The issue arose when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad.
In reaction to this ruling, the government of Bangladesh declared that the Indian Premier League (IPL) would not be televised nationwide and insisted that the T20 World Cup matches be moved to Sri Lanka.
Amidst this, various Bangladeshi media outlets reported that Indian presenter Ridhima Pathak was removed from the Bangladesh Premier League hosting panel.
Pathak, a well-known personality in Indian sports media, has denied these rumors, claiming that she left the T20 league on her own because of the ongoing political situation.
"In the last few hours, there's been a narrative suggesting I was 'dropped' from the BPL. That is not true. I made a personal decision to opt out. For me, my nation comes first—always. And I value the game of cricket far beyond any single assignment.
I've been privileged to serve this sport for years with honesty, respect, and passion. That won't change. I'll continue to stand for integrity, for clarity, and for the spirit of the game. Thank you to everyone who reached out with support. Your messages mean more than you know. Cricket deserves truth. Period. No further comments from my side,” Ridhima Pathak revealed on her social media.
The BCB wrote to the ICC to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh is to play four group stage matches in India in Mumbai and Kolkata. Apart from this, the Bangladesh information and broadcasting ministry ordered a ban on the broadcast of IPL in the country.
