Bangladesh Drops Indian Presenter from BPL Presentation Panel

Ridhima was scheduled to host the Dhaka leg of this year’s BPL but was dropped from the presentation team before her arrival in Bangladesh. The current edition of the BPL began in Sylhet, where the tournament authorities also introduced several new elements to the presentation and commentary panels this season.

Pakistani presenter Zainab Abbas has arrived in Bangladesh along with renowned commentators Waqar Younis, Ramiz Raja and Darren Gough. Ridhima was initially scheduled to join them but will no longer be part of the broadcast.

The development comes after the Bangladesh government, on January 5, decided to suspend the broadcast of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 matches in the country. The move followed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad. The IPL is set to begin on March 26.

KKR had announced that Rahman was removed from their IPL 2026 roster in response to the BCCI directive, citing recent developments related to alleged atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

“Under these circumstances, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has informed through an official letter that, until further notice, all IPL matches and related programmes will remain suspended from broadcast and telecast in Bangladesh,” the Press Information Department (PID) said in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected the BCB’s request to shift Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, according to ESPNcricinfo.

The report said a virtual meeting was held on Tuesday between the ICC and the BCB, during which the ICC informed the board that it would not approve the request due to security considerations.

The ICC reportedly told the BCB that Bangladesh’s senior men’s national team would have to travel to India to play their scheduled T20 World Cup matches or risk forfeiting points.

No official statement has been issued by either the ICC or the BCB on the outcome of the call, which was arranged after the BCB wrote to the ICC on Sunday seeking to move Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka, ESPNcricinfo reported.