IPL 2026: Will 'BAN' in Bangladesh affect viewership in the upcoming season?

Following the controversy involving Mustafizur, the BCB has imposed an indefinite ban on the IPL 2026 telecast in Bangladesh.

Tensions have escalated between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after BCB suspended the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) broadcast.

On Monday, January 5, BCB banned the telecast, promotion, and event coverage of IPL 2026 in Bangladesh for an indefinite period.

BCCI and BCB are at loggerheads following the release of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad ahead of IPL 2026. The Bangladesh pacer was captured by KKR in the IPL 2026 auction last month for a whopping amount of INR 9.20 crore.

However, the political tensions between the two countries escalated following the death of an Indian businessman, Khokon Das, in Bangladesh. He was killed due to a brutal mob attack, and his death led to widespread protests in both nations.

As a result, many cricket fans slammed KKR for picking Rahman in their squad amid the growing violence against Hindu communities in Bangladesh. Therefore, BCCI ordered KKR to release the left-arm pacer from their squad to respect the sentiments of Indian fans.

Rahman’s release from IPL 2026 did not go well with BCB. Following this incident, they immediately issued an order banning the tournament in their country, stating that the decision was made in the public interest.

Notably, Bangladesh are not the first nation to ban IPL telecast in their country. Pakistan have undertaken a similar decision in the past.

Will the broadcast ban in Bangladesh affect IPL 2026?

Like India, Bangladesh have a massive fan following for the game of cricket. Also, IPL enjoys a high viewership in Bangladesh, as many fans follow the tournament.

T Sports channel and T Sports app have been providing live telecast and streaming of the IPL tournament in the country for the past few seasons.

Many Bangladeshi players have also participated in the IPL tournaments over the years, which is also a key reason behind IPL being a popular league outside the country.

Moreover, Bangladesh have a massive population of over 17 crore and is the eighth most populous nation in the world. Hence, it is one of the countries with a large fan base for cricket. Based on the data from last year, 22 per cent of people in Bangladesh watched IPL matches.

Hence, the Asian nation provides a significant viewership for IPL tournaments, and the ban will definitely reduce a large portion of viewers for the next season.

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