NEW DELHI: Former Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi lost his cool after a reporter questioned him about the controversy involving Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman following his release by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2026.

The BCCI recently asked KKR to release Mustafizur from its squad due to "developments all around" in a reference to attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring country.

Mustafizur was bought by KKR for Rs 9.20 crore at the IPL auction following competitive bids from Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), in a retaliatory move, wrote to the ICC requesting that its league matches in India be shifted to Sri Lanka and also banned the telecast of the IPL in the country.

Playing for Noakhali Express in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Nabi vented his ire after a Bangladeshi reporter asked him a question that he said had nothing to do with him.

"Iska merese kya lena dena bhai. Mera Mustafizur se kya kaam hai? Politics me kya kaam hai mera? (What do I have to do with it? How am I related to Mustafizur? I don't have anything to do with politics)," Nabi responded.

"I know he is a good bowler, all these things. But the way you are questioning, it's not related to me," he added.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have grown increasingly strained in the aftermath of the removal of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She fled to India in August 2024 following widespread anti-government protests that rocked the country.

Subsequently, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a tribunal over her alleged involvement in a violent crackdown on the protests, during which several students lost their lives. Since her ouster, Bangladesh has witnessed a surge in violence, with members of the Hindu community reportedly facing targeted attacks.