'If they released Mustafizur after World Cup...': Ex-cricketer blames BCCI for T20 fracas involving Bangladesh, Pakistan

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali blamed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the T20 World Cup 2026 fracas involving Bangladesh, Pakistan and the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Pakistan government on Sunday announced that its team will not participate in the India vs Pakistan match on February 15. 

“BCCI made one mistake by releasing Mustafizur Rahman early from the IPL. They could have let the matter cool down before making the announcement. If they did that after the World Cup, we wouldn't have been here,” Ali said on his YouTube channel.

He added that it was after this that Bangladesh refused to travel to India, forcing Pakistan to put its foot down. Ali further claimed that if the match did not take place, "it will damage cricket and the sport's future". 

Pakistan is at risk of steep financial losses and may even face ICC sanctions if it does not eventually play with India. Commenting on this, Basit said, "Pakistan (cricket) board doesn't have any monetary problems. The government has asked them to take such a call, and then they would also give PCB the money." 

He, however, is not the only one to blame the BCCI for the ongoing turmoil. Former ICC head of communications Sami-ul-Hasan Burney said that the BCCI's handling of Mustafizur Rahman's IPL ouster triggered a chain reaction that led to Bangladesh quitting the tournament and Pakistan deciding to boycott its match against India. 

“Things could have been easily avoided if those responsible had been more careful and avoided public statements about removing a Bangladesh player from an IPL franchise,” Burney told PTI. 

He added, "They didn't need to say it publicly. The board could have privately instructed the franchise to release the player, and the matter would have ended there. Instead, an error of judgment turned the January 3 announcement into a trigger." 

T20 World Cup 2026 fiasco explained 

Last month, IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Rahman from their squad following a BCCI directive. The move led to outrage in Bangladesh, prompting a ban on IPL telecasts and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) urging the ICC to shift their T20 World Cup group matches out of India. 

Following this, the ICC showed the door to Bangladesh and replaced it with Scotland. After this, Pakistan jumped in and decided to boycott the IND vs PAK match on February 15. 

As of now, the match between India and Pakistan will not take place on February 15, and India is set to get 2 points after a walkover.