The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has ordered television channels to suspend the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with immediate effect.

The directive was issued in an official letter sent to television channels on Monday.

The decision follows the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) excluding Bangladesh star cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the upcoming IPL season, said the letter.

The letter added that no reasonable explanation has been provided for the Indian cricket board’s decision which has deeply hurt and angered the people of Bangladesh.

In view of the situation, the ministry has instructed the chief executives of all television channels to immediately stop the broadcast of all IPL matches and related programmes until further notice.

Bangladesh has officially decided not to travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, escalating the sporting standoff between the two countries to an unprecedented level.

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul disclosed the major development on Sunday, calling the move as a necessary response to what he termed the ‘radical communal policy’ of the Indian cricket authorities.

Source: UNB