Inclusion of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman in the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, co-owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, has kicked up a political row with leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition Congress sparring over the issue.
The controversy erupted following the IPL 2026 auction, where KKR secured Rahman for a staggering ₹9.20 crore. While the move was seen as a tactical masterstroke by cricket analysts, it set off a wave of nationalistic backlash amid strained ties between India and Bangladesh following the death of a Hindu man in Mymensingh.
Who said what
On Thursday, BJP leader Sangeet Som’s backed Hindu spiritual figure Devkinandan Thakur’s criticism of Shah Rukh Khan over Bangladeshi cricketer’s selection in his Indian Premiere League (IPL) team KKR. Som labelled Khan a “gaddar (traitor)” and accused Khan of investing money in players “from a country working against India”.
Som further alleged that Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there. “Despite all this, traitors like Shah Rukh Khan, I’m calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India. I want to tell people like Shah Rukh Khan that they will not succeed,” Som was quoted as saying by ANI news agency.
Amid the ongoing row, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam requested Khan to remove Rahman from his team, saying it would be for “his own good and will also protect India’s interests.”
“When the entire country is enraged and angry at Bangladesh, anyone in India who has even the slightest connection to Bangladeshis could become a target of that anger. If there is a Bangladeshi in Shah Rukh Khan’s team, before he becomes a major target, we request that Shah Rukh Khan remove the Bangladeshi from his team,” he told news agency ANI.
However, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Anand Dubey said that Bangladeshi players shouldn’t be allowed to play on Indian soil in the IPL. He further said that if Shah Rukh Khan didn’t remove the Bangladesh player, then he doesn’t understand the nation’s sentiments.
“Bangladeshi players shouldn’t be allowed to play on Indian soil in the IPL. Pakistani and Bangladeshi players should be prohibited. They harbour hatred towards us for the murder of our Hindu brothers and sisters.. Shah Rukh Khan should immediately remove that Bangladeshi cricketer from his team. If he doesn’t do this even after all this uproar, it will prove that, while he lives in this country and earns money here, he doesn’t understand this nation’s sentiments,” Dubey was quoted as saying by ANI.
Throwing his weight behind the Bollywood superstar, Congress MP Manickam Tagore B said calling Khan a “traitor” is an attack on India’s pluralism. “Hate cannot define nationalism. RSS must stop poisoning society,” the Congress leader said.
Supriya Shrinate questions BCCI, ICC
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also made a sharp attack on the BJP over the issue and said, “I want to ask who put the Bangladeshi players in that pool. This question is for the BCCI and the ICC. Home minister’s son, Jay Shah, should answer who put the Bangladeshi players in the pool where IPL players are bought and sold, the pool where the players’ auction takes place. He is the ICC’s chief and the main decision-maker in cricket all around the world,” she said, making an indirect remark on the BCCI management led by Jay Shah.
Moreover, All India Imam Association President Maulana Sajid Rashidi said the government should take action against Devkinandan Thakur for his remarks against Shah Rukh Khan. “Shah Rukh Khan bought a player, and there are no borders in sports and films. Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan are actors who do the most charity. The government must take action against Devkinandan Thakur,” Rashidi was quoted as saying by ANI.
National president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, said there is no act of betrayal in Khan’s KKR picking the Bangladeshi cricketer for IPL 2026.
“Devkinandan Thakur and Sangeet Som should understand that Indian Muslims are also concerned about the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and stand in solidarity with them, raising their voices in support of their protection and safety. In such a situation, if Shah Rukh Khan makes any agreement with a cricketer there, it is not an act of betrayal. This cannot be justified under any circumstances,” Barelvi was quoted as saying by ANI.
