Mustafizur Rahman's Reaction To IPL Row Revealed: "Person Of Different Level"
Mustafizur Rahman was excluded from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad ahead of the IPL 2026 on the advice of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
It has been an eventful few days for Bangladesh cricket team fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. He was excluded from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad ahead of the IPL 2026 on the advice of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision led to a massive controversy and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided to request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 games from India to Sri Lanka. While the topic has been dominating headlines, Mustafizur was in action for Rangpur Riders in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He had a tough start to the season but played a big role in guiding the Riders to victory over Dhaka Capitals.
Mohammad Ashraful, who is guiding Riders as assistant coach in the ongoing BPL, revealed that Mustafizur has been 'completely chill' despite the ongoing controversy.
"He (Mustafizur) is completely chill. He is not worried at all about all the off-field talk - whether it's BCB, India, BPL or ICC," Ashraful was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
"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 added.
Ashraful will also be working with Mustafizur in the national set-up as he is currently the batting coach of Bangladesh.
"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 said.
Mustafizur's national side teammate Mohammad Saifuddin also echoed similar sentiments by Ashraful.
"We had our last match against Rangpur Riders and after the game we were having dinner together and I called him to sit with me. We thought he would be disappointed but that is hardly the case," Saifuddin told reporters following a practice session. "He was hearing music and seemed to be relaxed like the way he always does."
Mustafizur Rahman
Bangladesh Cricket Team
India Cricket Team
Kolkata Knight Riders