BCB drops Indian presenter Ridhima Pathak from BPL
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has removed Indian presenter Ridhima Pathak from the presentation panel of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), citing a changed situation.
On Tuesday (6 January), BCB officials said Pathak was dropped from the panel amid recent developments, without providing further details.
In this year's BPL, the board had included several international faces to add variety to the presentation and commentary.
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Pakistani presenter Zainab Abbas was part of the presentation team alongside Pathak, while the commentary panel featured former Pakistan captain and ex-PCB chairman Ramiz Raja and England all-rounder Darren Gough.
Pathak's exit comes against the backdrop of recent political tensions between Bangladesh and India.
On Saturday (3 January), Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
According to various sources, the decision was taken amid threats from extremist groups.
Following Mustafizur's removal from the IPL team, the BCB held an emergency meeting and sent a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), citing security concerns and stating its inability to travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The board also demanded that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be moved to venues outside India.
As part of the developments, the Bangladesh government on Monday (5 January) imposed a ban on the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) through local operators.
Sources said, considering the overall situation, the BCB decided to drop Indian presenter Ridhima Pathak from the BPL presentation panel.
