Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful has said that Mustafizur Rahman remains unaffected by the circumstances surrounding his release from Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. The Bangladesh pacer was let go by KKR following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, issued amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Speaking in his role as assistant coach of Rangpur Riders in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, Ashraful revealed that Mustafizur has shown no signs of distraction and is fully committed to his current assignment.
“He 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 Rangpur Riders’ match against Chattogram Royals. Ashraful, who also serves as Bangladesh’s batting coach, said the left-arm pacer’s focus is firmly on performing for Rangpur before turning his attention to whatever lies ahead. “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,” he said. Assessing Mustafizur’s performances in the BPL so far, Ashraful acknowledged a slow start but highlighted his impact in Rangpur’s recent win over Dhaka. “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,” he added. In the aftermath of the BCCI’s decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board held an emergency meeting on Sunday and later confirmed that it had formally approached the International Cricket Council. The BCB has requested that all of Bangladesh’s matches in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup be moved to venues outside India, citing safety and security concerns. India and Sri Lanka are slated to co-host the tournament from February 7 to March 8, with games scheduled across several venues in both countries. Bangladesh’s stance has the potential to complicate the tournament calendar, as they are currently scheduled to face the West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before playing Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
