In strong words, Tharoor said that politicized sports are not healthy for the game, especially cricket, as there are countless people who just want to enjoy the competition on the field. The Congressman not only criticized Bangladesh and Pakistan but also believes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken the wrong decision by excluding Mustafizur Rahman from the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026).
Tharoor blamed the BCCI ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup
Behind the current controversial state, the Bangladesh pacer’s snub from the IPL 2026 plays a major role. The seamer was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the IPL 2026 mini-auction for a hefty salary. As soon as the Kolkata-based franchise managed to get the Bangladeshi pacer into their team, some groups started putting pressure on the BCCI to address the issue as there was new rising tension between India and Bangladesh.
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Due to the geopolitical tension, the Indian cricket board ordered KKR to release Rahman from the team. KKR did so as per BCCI orders. Tharoor stated that the BCCI had made a wrong move against Mustafizur Rahman.
“It’s quite shameful that the sport has been politicized like this on both sides, honestly. I don’t think Mustafizur (Bengali cricketer Mustafizur Rahman) should have been denied his contract to play in Kolkata. It was most unfortunate,” Tharoor opined while talking to reporters.
Now, Pakistan joined the queue ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup
After Rahman’s exit from the IPL 2026, the Bangladesh cricket board claimed that their players might face major safety and security issues as they would be playing in Kolkata and Mumbai. Bangladesh demanded to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka. Although the ICC refused their plea and named Scotland instead of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s exclusion from the 2026 T20 World Cup dragged the row into a new phase as Pakistan also threatened a boycott. On Sunday, the Pakistani government announced that its national team will not play against India on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Tharoor said politics should not interfere in cricket. ICC and the cricket matches can be the perfect stage to bring everyone together.
Shashi Tharoor asks for a ‘call off’
“Interference in politics – I think Bangladesh’s reaction was an overreaction, but it is also a reflection of the same, and Pakistan is trying to show its solidarity with Bangladesh. This whole thing is spiraling out of control. I think we really need to come to an understanding that sport, especially a sport like cricket, which means so much to all people, should be a means of bringing us together, at least on the field of play, rather than allowing it to continue like this,” Shashi Tharoor further said.
“I honestly think this is now a wake-up call for everyone involved to reach out to each other in case of emergency; the ICC could be the platform for that – just say, ‘Let’s get rid of this nonsense… You can’t go on like this forever’,” he concluded by saying this.
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