Bangladesh will not play their T20 World Cup matches in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the countries, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul said on Sunday.

Kolkata Knight Riders said on Saturday they had released the Bangladesh bowler after being told to do so by India’s cricket board (BCCI).

Bangladesh are scheduled to play three T20 World Cup matches in Kolkata next month, with the February 7-March 8 tournament being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

“Bangladesh will not go to India to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken this decision today,” Nazrul, who is an adviser to the Ministry of Sports, said in a statement after an emergency meeting of the BCB.

“We welcome this decision taken in the context of the extreme communal policy of India’s cricket board.”

Earlier, Nazrul had said, “We will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances.”

“The days of slavery are over,” he had said.

Nazrul said he had ordered the BCB to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“The board should inform that, where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup,” he wrote.

“I have also instructed the board to request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches should be held in Sri Lanka.”

Nazrul said he would also ask that the IPL be blocked from Bangladeshi broadcasters.

“I have requested the information and broadcasting adviser to stop the broadcasting of the IPL tournament in Bangladesh,” he said.

Kolkata Knight Riders, majority-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, subsequently said that Mustafizur’s “release has been carried out following due process and consultations”.

BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul told reporters late on Saturday: “The dignity and security of our cricketers are our top priorities, and we will take a decision at the appropriate time keeping these in mind.“

Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was snapped up at auction in December by Kolkata for more than $1 million.

But BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said that “considering recent developments”, Kolkata had been “advised to release” the 30-year-old player.

The developments come against the backdrop of soured political relations between India and Bangladesh after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.

India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unremitting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.

Last year, the ICC allowed India to play Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates due to soured relations with hosts Pakistan.

Pakistan will also play all their matches of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, as part of a deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.

On Sunday, cricket news site Cricbuzz reported that the BCB would ask the BCCI for a formal explanation regarding Mustafizur’s release.

The ICC and BCB did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.