IPL 2026: BJP leader slams Shah Rukh Khan, calls him 'traitor' after KKR purchases Bangladeshi player
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: BJP leader slams Shah Rukh Khan, calls him 'traitor' after KKR purchases Bangladeshi player")
IPL 2026: BJP leader slams Shah Rukh Khan, calls him 'traitor' after KKR purchases Bangladeshi player Photograph: (AFP)
During the IPL 2026 auctions in Abu Dhabi, KKR bought Mustafizur Rahman for Rs 9.2 crore, one of the highest during the auctions for a foreign player.
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has found himself in the centre of attention with less than three months to go before the Indian Premier League (IPL) season starts. Shah Rukh, co-owner of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has been slammed by ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som. The former member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly has called Shah Rukh a “traitor” for buying Bangladesh player Mustafizur Rahman in the IPL auctions held in December.
BJP slams Shah Rukh Khan
"On one hand, Hindus are being killed in Bangladesh, and on the other hand, cricketers are being bought in the IPL. The traitorous film actor Shah Rukh Khan has bought Bangladeshi cricketer Rahman for Rs 9 crore. Such traitors have no right to live in this country," Som said during a public event in India’s Meerut.
During the IPL 2026 auctions in Abu Dhabi, KKR bought Rahman for Rs 9.2 crore, one of the highest during the auctions for a foreign player. However, with communal violence against Hindus in Bangladesh at its peak, BJP leaders have urged a boycott of Bangladeshi commodities and stars. Part of that boycott is Rahman’s inclusion in the KKR side for IPL 2026.
However, Som was later slammed by his opposition leaders and allies for pointing a finger at Shah Rukh Khan.
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Congress leader Surender Rajput slammed the BJP and said it is a "traitor" party.
"They are attacking Shah Rukh Khan just because he is a Muslim," he told NDTV.
BJP ally and UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar also slammed Som, saying he keeps making such statements "to stay in the limelight".
IPL 2026 is set to start in the final week of March, with the auctions having taken place in December. KKR have won the IPL three times, including their recent win in 2024 when they beat SunRisers Hyderabad in the final.
