The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been instructed by its sports ministry to seek shifting of the country's T20 World Cup league games from India to Sri Lanka following concerns about players’ safety after Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the IPL on BCCI’s instructions. The Kolkata Knight Riders, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, released the Bangladesh left-arm pacer, who had been bought for Rs 9.20 crore, following the BCCI’s diktat.

BCB president and former Bangladesh skipper Aminul Islam Bulbul refrained from making public comments after an emergency board meeting. However, government advisor Asif Nazrul said he has instructed the board to formally request the ICC, led by Jay Shah, to move Bangladesh’s four league games to Sri Lanka.

“As the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to put the entire matter in writing and explain it to the ICC,” Nazrul wrote on Facebook in Bengali. “The board must make it clear that if a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, cannot play in India, then the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup. I have also directed the board to formally request that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka instead,” he added.

Bangladesh’s four league games are scheduled as follows: West Indies (Feb 7), Italy (Feb 9), England (Feb 14) in Kolkata, and Nepal (Feb 17) in Mumbai.

A BCCI source, however, dismissed the possibility, citing logistical challenges. “You can’t just change games at someone’s whims and fancies. It is a logistical nightmare. Think about opposition teams—their air tickets, hotels are booked. Also, on all days there are three games, which means one game is in Sri Lanka. There is broadcast crew. So it will be easier said than done,” the source said.

Pakistan is already playing its World Cup games in Sri Lanka as per prior arrangements. Meanwhile, the Indo-Bangladesh relationship has been tense following political developments in Bangladesh, including the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Although BCCI didn’t explicitly cite politics, it said the move to release Rahman was influenced by ongoing events.