Dhaka, Jan. 16 -- The fallout from Mustafizur Rahman's removal from the Indian Premier League has snowballed into a diplomatic standoff, with Bangladesh refusing to send its team to India for the T20 World Cup.

Speaking on bdnews24.com's interview programme Inside Out, former cricketer and analyst Ishtiaque Ahmad said the episode demonstrates how politics has hijacked cricket in South Asia.

"This isn't cricket anymore. It has escalated beyond cricket. It is now politics and cricket combined," he said.

Ishtiaque argued that the Bangladesh Cricket Board was right to take a firm stand.

He said Mustafizur's ouster from Kolkata Knight Riders carried "a political tint" and was enforced under pressure.

"Mustafizur was removed without any pr...