India-Bangladesh cricketing relations hit an all-time low on Saturday (January 3) 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 comes amid the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh where minorities in the country have been attacked.

In response to the decision, Bangladesh's interim government has instructed 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.

The development was confirmed by Bangladesh's sports adviser, Asif Nazrul through a social media post on Saturday evening.

Nazrul said the interim government has directed the BCB to formally inform the ICC and propose Sri Lanka as an alternative venue for Bangladesh's matches in the marquee event.

In a strong statement, Nazrul stated that they 'will not accept the humiliation of Bangladesh, Bangladeshi cricket, or Bangladeshi cricketers', while also hinting that the board will halt the broadcast of IPL matches in the country.

"Bowing to extremist communal forces, the Indian cricket board has directed Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the team. I strongly condemn and protest this," Asif Nazrul wrote on Facebook.

"As the minister in charge of the Sports Ministry, I have instructed the Cricket Board to write to the ICC explaining the entire matter. The board must clearly state that if a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite having a valid contract, then Bangladesh cannot consider it safe for its entire cricket team to travel to India to play the World Cup. I have also directed the board to formally request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka," he added.

"I have requested the Minister of Information and Broadcasting to stop the broadcast of IPL matches in Bangladesh as well. Under no circumstances will we accept the humiliation of Bangladesh, Bangladeshi cricket, or Bangladeshi cricketers. The days of slavery are over," concluded Asif Nazrul.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play their T20 World Cup 2026 matches against the West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9), and England (February 14) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Nepal (February 17) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has reportedly put on hold a scheduled tour of Bangladesh in September 2026, which was only recently announced by the BCB. The Indian board will now seek the government’s approval for the tour.