Bangladesh’s IPL broadcast ban remains in place, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has clarified, casting doubt on earlier reports that the restriction had been lifted.
The ministry issued a statement through its public relations officer Imranul Hasan, saying it has written to the Sports Ministry seeking their opinion and advice on the matter. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry will take its next steps based on the response from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The clarification came after several media outlets reported on Saturday that the ban had been withdrawn, following comments from Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, who had framed a potential reversal as a commercial rather than political decision. “We don’t want to mix politics with sport,” Swapan had said, adding that any channel applying to broadcast the IPL would be considered “positively.”
The ban dates back to January’s ICT Ministry directive, which ordered all channels to suspend IPL content “until further instructions.” It stemmed from the Mustafizur Rahman episode, in which the Bangladesh seamer lost his Kolkata Knight Riders contract after auction day, with officials citing “public interest” in a move widely seen as political retaliation.
The fallout extended beyond a single contract, Bangladesh subsequently pulled out of planned travel to India, and Scotland stepped in to fill their place in the ICC T20 World Cup. The situation remains unresolved as the 2026 IPL season gets under way, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru facing Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to open the tournament. Organisers scrapped the opening ceremony as a mark of respect following last year’s parade tragedy.
