Govt to consider lifting bar on IPL telecast in Bangladesh

The broadcast ban in Bangladesh over the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), set to begin today, could be lifted subject to application, confirmed information and broadcast minister Zahir Uddin Swapan.

“No one applied to us to telecast the IPL. We don't want to mix politics with sport. We will look at it from a commercial perspective, and if any channel applies to telecast the IPL, we will consider it positively,” Swapan was quoted as saying by Deutsche Welle.

He also said that there is no bar on cable operators in Bangladesh airing Indian broadcaster Star Sports’ telecast of the tournament.

“We will not bar anyone from telecasting it. If Star Sports wants to telecast it, they can. If any of our channels want to telecast it, we will take it positively, but we will not force anything,” he said.

Earlier on this year’s January 5, when the interim government was in power, the ICT Ministry had issued a letter, instructing all television channels and radio stations in the country not to broadcast the tournament.

“In this situation, it is requested that all IPL matches and related programs be suspended from broadcast or telecast until further instructions are given,” the letter read.

It had claimed to have taken this decision in “public interest”, in response to BCCI removing Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL seemingly under political pressure from right wing groups.

Mustafizur had earlier been roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 9.20 crore from the auction and was set to be Bangladesh’s lone representative this year, before being removed.

The Mustafizur row snowballed into Bangladesh getting replaced by Scotland in the ICC T20 World Cup after the Tigers refused to travel to India over security concerns.

Recently, however, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Islam had hinted at a possible reversal of the suspension.

“Sports shouldn’t be politicised. We have to know why it [IPL] was closed [broadcasting in Bangladesh], and later we can make a decision,” Aminul was quoted by Cricbuzz.

The IPL will begin today with a clash between the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru today.

For the first time ever, there will be no glitzy opening ceremony before the tournament opener as a mark of respect to the 11 people who lost their lives at the same venue during RCB’s trophy parade last year.