The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday ordered television channels to suspend the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with immediate effect.

The directive was given in an official letter to television channels on Monday.

The decision follows the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) excluding Bangladesh star cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the upcoming IPL season, said the letter.

The letter added that no reasonable explanation has been provided for the Indian cricket board’s decision which has deeply hurt and angered the people of Bangladesh.

In view of the situation, the ministry has instructed the chief executives of all television channels to immediately stop the broadcast of all IPL matches and related programmes until further notice.

Decision on IPL broadcast ban after legal assessment: Adviser Rizwana

Mustafizur had been roped in by KKR for a record BDT 9.20 crore before being forced out due to political pressure in India.

On Sunday, Information Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan confirmed that the government was reviewing legal frameworks to implement a ban following a request from Law Adviser Asif Nazrul.

Asif Nazrul had previously urged the ministry to take action to protect national dignity, stating that “the days of slavery are over.”

On Sunday, the government and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced that the national team would refuse to travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, citing the BCCI's "radical communal policy."

Amzad Hussain, the chairman of the BCB media department, confirmed to UNB that BCB wrote a letter to ICC to change the venues of Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka, which is the co-host of the event.

Bangladesh team has four matches scheduled in India, three are at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, and one is at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. ICC is yet to respond to BCB’s request to change venues.