Sylhet, Jan 6 (IANS) Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful revealed that pacer Mustafizur Rahman is unfazed by the recent developments surrounding his release from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The fast bowler was released from KKR’s squad following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to the tense situation between the two nations.

Now, Ashraful, who is the assistant coach of Rangpur Riders in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), said that Mustafizur isn’t much bothered by the IPL’s decision to release him, and is currently focused on his BPL assignment with the Riders.

“He (Mustafizur) is completely chill. He is not worried at all about all the off-field talk – whether it’s BCB, India, BPL or ICC,” Ashraful told reporters after the Riders’ game against Chattogram Royals.

Ashraful, the current batting coach of Bangladesh, added, “Right now he is focused on playing for Rangpur Riders, and after this, whatever assignment comes next, he will focus on that. He is a person of a different level. If you talk about Mustafizur in the first two matches, his performances were a bit below par, but especially the way we won the last match against Dhaka was an outstanding victory. And the way Mustafizur bowled those last two overs – I think he is a world champion for this format, that’s how important he is.”

Following BCCI’s decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) convened an emergency board meeting on Sunday afternoon and later said that they had formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate all their matches in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup to venues outside India, citing safety and security concerns.

India and Sri Lanka are scheduled to co-host the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup from February 7 to March 8, with matches held across multiple venues in both countries.

Bangladesh’s refusal to play in India threatens to disrupt the tournament schedule, given their itinerary, which includes matches against the West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, as well as against Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

–IANS

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