Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has strongly criticized the reported decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to exclude Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the upcoming Indian Premier League season. In a pointed opinion piece published on January 8, 2026, Tharoor labeled the move a "troubling departure" from sporting merit and strategic sense.
A Flawed and Reactive Decision
Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, argued that the directive to ban Mustafizur Rahman—who was recruited by the Kolkata Knight Riders—represents an unnecessary politicization of sport. He emphasized that a player vetted and cleared by the BCCI for the auction enters a professional ecosystem. Retroactively forcing a franchise to drop a player based on his nationality undermines the integrity of the league, he wrote.
The MP acknowledged the backdrop of strained India-Bangladesh ties and serious reports of violence against minorities in Bangladesh. He stated that while India must engage in firm diplomatic management to urge the Dhaka government to protect minorities, a blanket boycott of Bangladeshi cricketers is counterproductive. "Our goal should be to promote normalcy and protect the voices of moderation," Tharoor noted.
The Dangerous Conflation with Pakistan
A core argument in Tharoor's critique is the clear distinction between Bangladesh and Pakistan. He stressed that Bangladesh has not made state-sponsored terror a policy pillar, unlike India's western neighbour. The relationship with Bangladesh, he reminded readers, is built on shared culture, history, and economic ties in the Bay of Bengal region.
"To impose a ‘Pakistan-like’ isolation on Bangladesh is to ignore the nuances of geopolitics. You cannot make a simple equation between the two," Tharoor asserted. He warned that such a move alienates the broader Bangladeshi population and plays into the hands of extremists.
Moral Inconsistency and Self-Inflicted Damage
Tharoor highlighted a critical logical flaw in the reported ban. He questioned whether the exclusion would apply to Bangladeshi Hindu cricketers like Litton Das or Soumya Sarkar, who have played in the IPL before. "If not, who are we punishing — a country, an individual, or his religion?" he asked.
By appearing to discriminate against a Muslim Bangladeshi cricketer, India risks abandoning the moral high ground, Tharoor argued. He described the decision as one taken in haste to appease social media outrage, which demeans India's cultural ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family).
Tharoor also pointed out the inconsistency of targeting sports while other engagements with Bangladesh—trade, transit, electricity supply, and high-level diplomacy—continue uninterrupted. He questioned the fairness of victimizing a professional athlete like Mustafizur, who has never condoned hate speech or spoken against India.
Broader Implications for Indian Cricket
The MP raised concerns about the precedent this sets, especially with the upcoming T20 World Cup, for which Bangladesh has already requested to relocate its India-hosted matches to Sri Lanka. He asked if India is prepared to let its stature as a cricketing host nation be dictated by trending hashtags.
Tharoor concluded with a clear call to action: "Let us engage with Bangladesh with the firmness that our national interest requires, but let us not sacrifice the spirit of the game on the altar of political convenience." He urged the BCCI to reconsider, stating that to do otherwise is a "self-inflicted wound" on India's global image. As a cricket fan, he signed off with an appeal: "BCCI, don’t tarnish the trophy!"
