Overview
- KKR bought Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman for Rs 9.2 crore at the IPL 2026 auction, triggering fresh demands from Shiv Sena (UBT) figures and others to remove him from the squad.
- BJP leader Sangeet Som called Shah Rukh Khan a traitor and warned Rahman “won’t be able to step outside the airport,” heightening security concerns around the player’s participation.
- Religious leaders Devkinandan Thakur and Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya denounced the selection and threatened protests, while Dhirendra Shastri said the BCCI should decide and urged Bangladeshi players to speak up on minority safety.
- Congress leaders defended Shah Rukh Khan, with Manickam Tagore calling the traitor rhetoric an attack on pluralism, and Supriya Shrinate questioning why the BCCI and ICC allowed Bangladeshi players into the auction pool.
- KKR and Shah Rukh Khan have not issued a public response as the dispute intensifies, with critics citing recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and supporters urging sports to be kept separate from politics.