BCCI made 'judgment error', Mustafizur Rahman's IPL ouster triggered T20 World Cup chaos: Ex-ICC official

The former ICC official said the crisis could have been avoided had the BCCI handled the Mustafizur Rahman situation more discreetly.

Former ICC head of communications Sami-ul-Hasan Burney has traced the ongoing T20 World Cup turmoil back to the BCCI’s handling of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s exit from the IPL earlier this year. The episode, he said, triggered a chain reaction that ultimately led to Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament and Pakistan’s decision to boycott its group-stage match against India.

Mustafizur Rahman was removed from KKR squad last month (AFP)

The controversy began on January 3, when a BCCI directive, issued amid heightened regional tensions, resulted in Kolkata Knight Riders releasing Mustafizur from their IPL squad without a public explanation. The move sparked outrage in Bangladesh, with the government banning IPL telecasts and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) urging the ICC to shift their T20 World Cup group matches out of India.

With the ICC refusing to accommodate the request and Bangladesh standing firm, the impasse ended with the governing body ejecting Bangladesh from the tournament and naming Scotland as their replacement.

The decision drew sharp criticism from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the only full member to publicly back Bangladesh’s concerns. PCB accused the ICC of “double standards,” citing its accommodation of India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy last year, and threatened to review its own participation in the World Cup.

After days of deliberation, the Pakistan government allowed the team to compete in the tournament but barred it from taking the field against India in the Group A match scheduled for February 15 in Colombo.

Speaking to PTI, Burney said the crisis could have been avoided had the BCCI handled the Mustafizur situation more discreetly.

“Things could have been easily avoided if those responsible had been more careful and avoided public statements about removing a Bangladesh player from an IPL franchise,” Burney said.

“They didn’t need to say it publicly. The board could have privately instructed the franchise to release the player and the matter would have ended there. Instead, an error of judgment turned the January 3 announcement into a trigger,” he added.