Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders have been told to release fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia said on Saturday, amid growing tensions between the countries.

The development comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som’s criticed Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan for inducting Mustafizur in his franchise, calling Khan a traitor.

Mustafizur’s selection to play for KKR had come amid allegations mostly by the Indian right-wing over attacks on Hindus.

Last month, hundreds protested near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death.

“Due to recent developments going on all across, the BCCI has instructed the franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad,” Saikia told Indian news agency ANI.

“They can ask for a replacement if needed. And upon request, BCCI will allow a replacement player.”

“BCCI will allow Kolkata Knight Riders a replacement player in line with IPL regulations, and further details will be communicated in due course,” the team added in a statement.

Reuters has approached Mustafizur for comment.

Mustafizur, 30, has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in previous seasons of the IPL, taking 65 wickets in 60 matches.

He was signed by Kolkata in last month’s auction for a fee of 92 million Indian rupees ($1.02 million), making him the most expensive player from Bangladesh in IPL history.

According to the Hindustan Times, opposition Congress party on Thursday condemned Som’s criticism of Khan for inducting Mustafizur in his franchise.

While calling Khan a “gaddar” (traitor), former Uttar Pradesh MLA Som questioned him for investing money in a player “from a country working against India”.

The Hindustan Times quoted from a video clip of him as saying: “The way Hindus are being persecuted in Bangladesh, women and girls are being raped, their homes are being burned, and anti-India slogans are being chanted there.

“Despite all this, traitors like Shahrukh Khan, I’m calling him a traitor because everything he has is given by India, given by the people of India, but where do they invest this money? They invest it in players from a country that is working against India. I want to tell people like Shahrukh that they will not succeed.”

The incident worsened relations between India and its neighbour, with ties already strained after Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following protests against her in 2024.

The 19th edition of the IPL begins on March 26, after India and Sri Lanka co-host the Twenty20 World Cup starting in February.