Devkinandan Thakur, a distinguished spiritual leader and ‘Kathavachak’, welcomed the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to remove him from the T-20 tournament on Saturday. His earlier questioning regarding the inclusion of Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise sparked significant controversy.
Thakur praised the Indian cricket board for instructing KKR to bar Rahman from their IPL squad. He expressed gratitude towards the BCCI for considering his appeal, stating, “We had appealed that Bangladeshi cricketers should not be allowed to play in the IPL. Today, the BCCI has issued an order stating that no Bangladeshi cricketer will participate in the IPL. We are very grateful to the BCCI for this decision, but KKR didn’t understand the feelings and the pain of Hindus.”
He criticized the franchise and its owner, equating their silence to a disregard for the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. “Despite the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh, KKR kept a Bangladeshi cricketer and did not even bother to issue an official statement. We, as Hindus and members of the Sanatan Nyasa foundation, are sad and hurt by this behaviour,” he remarked. “We are going to remember that you did not stand with us during our pain and sorrow,” he added.
Earlier on Saturday, KKR officially dropped Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for the 2026 edition, following BCCI’s directive.
In contrast, Masood Uz Zafar Amini, coach of cricketer Rinku Singh, emphasized that sports and politics should remain separate to avoid negatively impacting the game. Amini stated, “Mustafizur Rahman is a cricketer first—Hindu or Muslim comes later. Other teams in the IPL had also bid for Mustafizur before KKR bought him. There should be no politics with players. There should be a distinction between the game and politics; players are different from religion, and such incidents keep occurring.”
He also acknowledged the nation’s decision, saying, “But since it’s a decision of the nation and the BCCI has taken it, we have to abide by it.”