'This country made you a hero’: Spiritual leader slams SRK for including Mustafizur Rahman in KKR

Delhi: Hindu spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur on Thursday criticised Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan over the inclusion of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman in the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), questioning how the actor could remain “so heartless” amid reports of atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh.

Thakur said that Hindus in Bangladesh are “being brutally murdered, their homes burned, and their sisters and daughters raped.” He questioned how Shah Rukh Khan, who owns a cricket team, could bring in a player from that country.

“This country made you a hero, a superstar, and gave you so much power that you own a cricket team. What were you before? You worked in a TV serial, earning Rs 500–1,000 a day. The Hindu community also gave you a lot of love. What is the result of all this?” Thakur asked.

He urged KKR management and Shah Rukh Khan to remove the Bangladeshi player from the team. He also suggested that the ₹9.2 crore being paid to Mustafizur Rahman should instead go to the families of Hindu children being killed in Bangladesh.

Thakur clarified his personal stance on Shah Rukh Khan, saying he has never met the actor and only seen his posters.

“I have nothing more to do with him than that. I don't watch films. I don't do things that corrupt the character of the world. I don't have any personal enmity with him. I am a Hindu religious leader, and Hindus are being killed. And you have brought a Bangladeshi cricketer into your team?”

The controversy follows the IPL 2026 auction, where KKR acquired Mustafizur Rahman, popularly known as ‘The Fizz’, for ₹9.20 crore. Earlier, BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh MLA Sangeet Som also criticised Shah Rukh Khan over the move, calling it objectionable and labelling him a “gaddar” for backing the inclusion of the Bangladeshi pacer.