'Very rubbish thing to do': Moeen Ali blasts cricket governing bodies over Mustafizur Rahman row

NEW DELHI: Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has spoken openly about the growing political problems affecting cricket. After heavy public backlash, the BCCI asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026.

This move came at a time when relations between India and Bangladesh have gone downhill. Things became tense after Sheikh Hasina was removed as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister in August 2024, and now cricket is feeling the impact.



Moeen believes the situation is getting worse for the game. He feels politics should not interfere with cricket.

“The game is already in a bit of danger regarding these things, and then on top of that, what happened with Mustafizur… Honestly, something isn’t right here. Something needs to be done to fix things because it’s not just about Mustafizur. Pakistan, Bangladesh—we all know various issues are going on. It can’t go on like this. These are big problems,” Moeen told bdnews24.

“More than anything else, I feel bad for Mustafizur. He got such a good contract, and considering his career, his years of skillful performance and journey, he finally got something so good… He could have been in another team, but KKR got him… and honestly, he is the one suffering more than anyone.”

The former KKR player does not blame the Bangladesh Cricket Board for refusing to send their team to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

He feels it is a reaction to the BCCI’s actions, which have nearly blocked Bangladeshi players from the IPL.

Moeen also spoke about power politics in world cricket.

He believes the BCCI has controlled the game for years, while boards like Australia and England stay silent.

“I read today that Bangladesh (is not going to India)… and stopped the (IPL) broadcast. Actually… I’m not blaming Bangladesh. But whoever is doing these things, whoever is dragging these issues in, it’s a very rubbish thing to do because cricket is different," he added.

“The ICC is never like that. That’s the truth. But no one says anything. Everyone knows who runs it… Shouldn’t countries like Australia and England play a role here? They don’t say anything either."


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