Bangladesh makes IPL U-turn. Country set to broadcast games, minister confirms

After banning the broadcast of the Indian Premier League earlier this year, Bangladesh have removed the blanket ban on the league this season. The development was confirmed by the country’s newly appointed Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan during a media interaction on Saturday, March 28.

Bangladesh had banned the broadcast of the IPL in the aftermath of pacer Mustafizur Rahman being relieved from the league. Mustafizur, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a massive Rs 9.20 crore, was let go by the franchise on the directions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The board had informally instructed the franchise to part ways with the left-arm pacer while reacting to incidents involving the killing of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

Relations between the Bangladesh and Indian cricket boards hit an all-time low following the episode, with Bangladesh pulling out of the T20 World Cup 2026. However, in recent days, ties between the two countries have improved, with both sides exchanging pleasantries through their respective leaders.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has also acknowledged the damage caused by refusing to participate in a World Cup, a mistake they are now willing to rectify.

“No one applied to us to telecast the IPL. We don’t want to mix politics with sport. We will look at it from a commercial perspective, and if any channel applies to telecast the IPL, we will consider it positively,” Zahir Uddin Swapan said on Saturday.

“We will not bar anyone from telecasting it. If Star Sports wants to telecast it, they can. If any of our channels want to telecast it, we will take it positively, but we will not force anything,” he added.

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