Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday (January 3) released Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 roster after receiving BCCI’s directive.

Mustafizur, the only Bangladeshi representative in the upcoming IPL season, was signed by KKR for Rs 9.2 crore in the mini-auction last month. However, as reports of atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh increased, there was growing demand of removing the left-arm pacer from the league.

After heavy public backlash, BCCI instructed KKR to release Mustafizur and the franchise obliged to the board’s diktat.

Reacting to the development, former England all-rounder Moeen Ali condemned the growing political problems affecting cricket.

Moeen believes cricket should not be dragged into politics and the situation is getting worse for the game.

“The game is already in a bit of danger regarding these things, and then on top of that, what happened with Mustafizur… Honestly, something isn’t right here. Something needs to be done to fix things because it’s not just about Mustafizur. Pakistan, Bangladesh—we all know various issues are going on. It can’t go on like this. These are big problems,” Moeen told bdnews24.

“More than anything else, I feel bad for Mustafizur. He got such a good contract, and considering his career, his years of skillful performance and journey, he finally got something so good… He could have been in another team, but KKR got him… and honestly, he is the one suffering more than anyone.”

Moeen refused to blame the Bangladesh Cricket Board for their stand of not wanting to play the T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India.

According to him, it is a reaction to the BCCI’s actions. He also commented on power politics in world cricket, saying the BCCI has controlled the game for years with boards like Australia and England remaining silent.

“I read today that Bangladesh (is not going to India)… and stopped the (IPL) broadcast. Actually… I’m not blaming Bangladesh. But whoever is doing these things, whoever is dragging these issues in, it’s a very rubbish thing to do because cricket is different," Moeen stated.

“The ICC is never like that. That’s the truth. But no one says anything. Everyone knows who runs it… Shouldn’t countries like Australia and England play a role here? They don’t say anything either."