New Delhi: Sangeet Som, a BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh, has trained guns on Shah Rukh Khan over the inclusion of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), an IPL franchise that the Bollywood superstar co-owns.
Last month, Shah Rukh’s KKR secured Mustafizur, nicknamed the ‘Fizz’, for a staggering Rs 9.20 crore.
Targeting Shah Rukh amid rising diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh, Som described the inclusion of Mustafizur as an objectionable move and labelled Bollywood Badshah SRK a ‘traitor’ for backing the decision.
“Hum daave ke saath keh rahe hain ki aise khiladiyon ko yahan khelne nahi diya jaayega. Shah Rukh Khan jaise gaddaron ko yeh samajh lena chahiye ki aap jis tarah desh ke saath gaddari kar rahe hain, agar aap aaj is mukaam par pahunche hain toh is desh ke logon ki wajah se pahunche hain. (We say this with certainty that such players will not be allowed to play here. Traitors like Shah Rukh Khan should understand that if you have reached this positio
n today, it is because of the people of this country),” the MLA said at a public gathering.
“Kabhi Pakistan ko chanda dene ki baat karte hain, kabhi Rahman jaise khiladi kharidne ki baat karte hain. Yeh ab is desh mein nahi chalega. Aise gaddaron ke liye desh mein ab koi jagah nahi rahegi. (Sometimes they talk about giving donations to Pakistan, sometimes they buy players like Rahman. This will no longer be tolerated in this country. There will be no place for such traitors in the nation),” the legislator added.
Som is not the first one to call out SRK for including a Bangladeshi player in his team. Several religious leaders and local organisations had earlier voiced their dissent.
During a recent address to his supporters, spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur had raised objections to KKR acquiring Mustafizur for IPL 2026.
Issuing a stern ultimatum to the KKR management, Thakur said, “Agar KKR ne us khiladi ko wapas nahi kiya, uski cancellation nahi ki, toh ‘khela hobe’, bahut bada khela hobe. Samay hai sambhal jao, samay hai sudhar jao, warna samay ulti disha mein behne lagega. (If KKR does not return that player and cancel the decision, there will be ‘khela hobe’, a very big game will happen. This is the time to be careful and correct yourselves, otherwise time will start moving in the opposite direction.)”
Neither Shah Rukh nor the KKR management has addressed the controversy yet.