'Mindless Politicising Of Sport': Shashi Tharoor On Bangladesh Pacer Mustafizur Rahman's Exclusion From KKR Squad For IPL

New Delhi: Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Kerala, Shashi Tharoor, on Saturday called out the “mindless politicising of sport” after Shah Rukh-owned Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from its IPL squad.

The KKR released Mustafizur on Saturday following directions by the BCCI amid outrage over the participation of the Bangladesh pacer in IPL 2026 in the backdrop of persecution of Hindu minorities in the neighbouring country.

Tharoor questioned if the Bangladeshi in question had been a Hindu from Bangladesh like Soumya Sarkar or Litton Das.

“Recalling my views on the subject, now that @bcci has deplorably pulled the plug on @Mustafiz90. And what if the Bangladeshi player in question had been @LittonOfficial or @soumyasarkar_06? Who are we punishing here: a nation, an individual, his religion? Where will this mindless politicising of sport lead us?” Tharoor wrote in a post on X.

Earlier, the Kolkata Knight Riders confirmed that BCCI/IPL, as the regulator of IPL, had instructed it to release Mustafizur from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. “The release has been carried out following due process and consultations, upon the instruction of the Board of Control of Cricket in India," read the KKR statement.

"BCCI will allow Kolkata Knight Riders a replacement player in line with IPL regulations, and further details will be communicated in due course," it said.

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KKR Releases Pacer Mustafizur Rahman After BCCI Directive Amid Bangladesh-IPL Row