Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have said on Saturday that they have released fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman after being instructed to do the same by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). KKR had bought the 30-year-old Bangladesh fast bowler for Rs Rs 9.5 crore in the auction ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in December.
“Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL as the regulator of IPL has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season,” said KKR in a statement that came shortly after BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced communicating the instruction with the three-time IPL champions.
“The release has been carried out following due process and consultations, upon the instruction of the Board of Control of Cricket in India. BCCI will allow Kolkata Knight Riders a replacement player in line with IPL regulations, and further details will be communicated in due course.”
Saikia had earlier said that the BCCI had told KKR to release Mustafizur “due to recent developments”.
“Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad,” Saikia told the news agency ANI. “BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement.”
KKR slammed for signing up Mustafizur
Mustafizur was one of seven Bangladeshi players in the auction pool but the only one to find bidders. Mustafizur entered with a base price of Rs 2 crore but ended up being signed up by KKR for Rs 9.20 crore. Delhi Capitals opened the bidding for the 30-year-old, and Chennai Super Kings challenged, with Mustafizur having turned out for both sides in the past. KKR entered the fray at Rs 5.4 crore and then managed to keep CSK at bay.
However, KKR and their co-owner, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, have since come under intense criticism on social media and by politicians for signing the Mustafizur, linking it to reports of attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh in recent weeks.
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Mustafizur has played 60 IPL games and taken 65 wickets. The 2026 season of the IPL would’ve marked a decade of playing in the league for him, having made his first appearance playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. SRH won the title that season and Mustafizur became the first overseas player to win the “Emerging Player of the Tournament” award. He has since gone on to play in every season except for two, in 2019 and 2020. He played for SRH in the 2017 season as well after he which he spent a season at Mumbai Indians. Mustafizur then didn’t feature in the 2019 and 2020 seasons before spending a year with the Rajasthan Royals in 2021. He then spent two seasons with Delhi Capitals and then played for the Chennai Super Kings in 2024. Mustafizur then returned to DC last year.
