INDIA’s JioStar has terminated its broadcast deals in Bangladesh for the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying its local partner failed to meet payment terms, according to a document seen by Reuters.
In a letter dated February 17 to Bangladesh broadcaster TSports, JioStar said, "The agreement stands terminated with immediate effect." TSports had sublicensed the rights from JioStar for IPL seasons from 2023 to 2027.
The company cited its partner’s "continued failure and default in adhering to the payment timelines stipulated under the agreement".
Bangladesh had banned IPL broadcasts in January after Kolkata Knight Riders dropped Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman on the instruction of India’s cricket board, at a time when tensions between the two countries had risen following the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh.
The country is reviewing the ban. It said on Saturday that any further steps will depend on the opinion of its sports ministry. However, the termination by JioStar means there will be no local broadcaster for the IPL season even if the stance changes.
IPL, valued at $18.5 billion, has a large following in Bangladesh. The latest season started on March 28.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained since a political transition in Dhaka in August 2024 disrupted ties under former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to New Delhi after a mass uprising.
There are signs of a change after Tarique Rahman, the newly formed government’s prime minister, said in February that Bangladesh would engage with neighbours on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests.
A separate JioStar letter dated February 17 showed the company also terminated its broadcast deals in Bangladesh for the Women’s Premier League over similar defaults.
(With inputs from Reuters)
