Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL release: Bangladesh hit by broadcast ban fallout, BCCI sees limited likely impact

Mustafizur Rahman row: Bangladesh government's decision to ban IPL broadcast after excluding Mustafizur Rahman is likely to backfire. According to a report, this will have minimal impact on the BCCI's revenue and viewership, while the Bangladesh side will suffer significant losses in ad inventory.

The dispute that began after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCCI) ordered the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to exclude Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL is showing no signs of ending. While the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has demanded that its T20 World Cup 2026 matches be shifted from India to Sri Lanka, the Bangladeshi government has banned the telecast of the IPL in its country indefinitely. According to one report, this will have very little impact on the BCCI's revenue and viewership. However, the Bangladesh side's ad inventory will suffer more.

Will the IPL's Business Be Affected?

In fact, three industry experts quoted by Business Standard claim that banning the broadcast of the IPL in Bangladesh will not significantly affect the BCCI. Bangladesh will bear the brunt of the loss. In the report, Santosh N, Managing Partner at valuation service provider D&P Advisory Services, said, "I don't think stopping the IPL broadcast in Bangladesh will have a major impact."

He added, "It will not affect the BCCI's revenue, nor will it change the payment made by the broadcasters. Viewership will also not be significantly impacted, as only two or three Bangladeshi players were active in the league last season."

Broadcaster's Revenue Unlikely to Be Affected

Meanwhile, N Chandramouli, Chief Executive Officer of TRA Research, stated that even though Bangladesh has a good cricket team, it is unlikely to affect the broadcasters' revenue. He said that any revenue loss would be compensated by the arrival of other brands. The IPL is growing continuously, and existing sponsors may increase their advertising in the coming seasons.

According to the report, the immediate loss for the BCCI appears to be negligible, as the IPL's media rights for the 2023-27 cycle are locked at ₹48,390.32 crore. Bangladesh's rights holder, T Sports, holds the IPL rights until 2027 under a deal.

Furthermore, the report, citing sources, stated that even if the matches are not telecast, payments will be made as per the agreement. Ajimon Francis of Brand Finance said, "If the ban continues, the net impact will be less than 2%. This means that the greater loss will be to the Bangladesh side's ad inventory rather than the IPL's core rights cheque."