Cricket in the subcontinent has always lived at the intersection of sports and geopolitics. As Shaharyar Khan wrote in Shadows Across the Playing Field, cricket is largely an arm of diplomacy that can soften or aggravate the hostility (between India and Pakistan). The same now stands true for the heightened tensions between India and Bangladesh.
The events of the past few days suggest that the balance between sport and politics has become increasingly fragile, and has raised uncomfortable questions about where cricket is headed in the subcontinent. The immediate trigger this time around wasn’t conflict or a cross-border skirmkish, but rather a notification from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), asking the franchise to release Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman due to “recent developments”. His signing by KKR should have been a straightforward cricketing story – a proven international fast bowler returning to the world’s most competitive T20 league. Instead, it became something else entirely only weeks after the auction.
The reaction from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was swift. Multiple emergency meetings took place, and soon, the BCB requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate the team’s matches in the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup from India to the co-host, Sri Lanka, citing safety concerns and government advice. Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Advisor too later stated that Mustafizur’s omission had hurt the “sentiments of our people”.
When it comes to cricket, this episode unfortunately feels more like an erosion of trust. South Asian cricket has always been hostage to political tensions – India and Pakistan didn’t play each other between 1961 and 1978, a period in which they fought two wars – but administrators had usually found ways to ring-fence the sport. That protective layer now seems to have been taken away, leaving the game hostage to rhetoric and one-upmanship.
India’s cricketing relationship with Pakistan has long set the template. For over a decade, bilateral cricket has been non-existent, with the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma going through entire Test careers without even one game against Pakistan. Even multi-nation tournaments require neutral venues and sometimes diplomatic negotiations, as was the case ahead of the Champions Trophy last year.
The 2025 Asia Cup was arguably the most politically charged edition of the tournament, and exposed how vulnerable regional tournaments have become. Now with Bangladesh entering the same space, the strain on the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will be immense.
Organisations such as the ACC exist primarily to grow the game, and have played a big part in the development of cricket in countries like Bangladesh. But right now, sport seems to be losing its ability to act as common ground. The subcontinent remains cricket’s most powerful market and its emotional centre. But if current trends continue, the future may involve fewer exchanges, more neutral venues and existential concerns for South Asian cricket.
The shadow across the playing field has never been darker.
