Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the decision that led to Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman being released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, calling it “extremely unfortunate and unwise”.
Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said sports should be kept separate from political disputes, particularly at a time when relations between New Delhi and Dhaka are under strain following reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.
Rahman’s inclusion in KKR had drawn backlash from sections on social media, eventually leading to his removal from the squad. The development came amid diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh, with the issue spilling into the sporting arena.
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‘Sport should not bear the burden of politics’
Tharoor said that turning a private sporting decision into a political signal was counterproductive. “At such a delicate moment, this seems to me to have been an extremely unfortunate and unwise decision because what it implies is that we are politicising even such a simple aspect as a private cricket game,” he said.
He added that India was already engaging with Bangladesh through diplomatic channels and urging its interim government to restore law and order. “There are many other ways in which we are dealing with Bangladesh, as we have to,” Tharoor said, referring to ongoing diplomatic engagement.
The Congress leader also expressed concern over what he described as policy being influenced by social media outrage. “It is troubling that we have seen the kind of social media outrage driving policy. Some things should be beyond this,” he said.
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Arguing that sport can help ease tensions between countries, Tharoor said the decision had the opposite effect. “When you have tensions with countries, sport becomes a good way of diffusing those tensions. What has been done has only exacerbated them,” he said.
Bangladesh board reacts after KKR move
KKR, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, had picked Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.20 crore at the IPL auction held in Abu Dhabi last month before releasing him.
Following Rahman’s exit, the Bangladesh Cricket Board held an emergency meeting and subsequently decided that Bangladesh’s national team would not travel to India for the T20 World Cup scheduled to begin on February 7, citing security concerns and government directives.
