Several senior figures within the Board of Control for Cricket in India were reportedly unaware of the decision to instruct Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, raising questions about transparency and internal process at the highest level of Indian cricket administration.
The directive was publicly confirmed on Saturday by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who said the board had ordered the franchise to remove the Bangladesh international from their squad in light of “the situation that has developed recently”.
But Indian media reports suggest the decision was taken without broad consultation inside the board. An unnamed BCCI official told The Indian Express that members first learned of the move through media reports rather than internal communication. “We came to know about it through the media. There was no discussion on this, nor was any opinion sought from us,” the official said.
According to NDTV, the decision was not unanimous within the BCCI and was discussed at a meeting that did not include all board members or the full IPL Governing Council. Despite that, the release of Mustafizur, who was bought for Rs 9.2cr at last month’s IPL auction, was presented externally as a firm directive from the top of the organisation.
The sense of being sidelined has unsettled some administrators, particularly given the political and diplomatic sensitivity surrounding the issue. Officials privately expressed concern that such a significant step, involving an overseas player and potential bilateral implications, was taken without wider debate or formal approval.
The internal unease comes as the fallout continues to grow outside India. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has informed the International Cricket Council that it is considering moving Bangladesh’s scheduled matches at the upcoming T20 World Cup from India to Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh government has also announced that IPL broadcasts in the country will be suspended until further notice.
While public attention has focused on the escalating response from Bangladesh, the comments attributed to BCCI insiders point to a deeper issue within the Indian board itself. For several senior figures, the controversy is now as much about how the decision was made as it is about the decision to release Mustafizur Rahman.
