IPL 2025: Why is Boycott Delhi Capitals Trending on Social Media? Who is at Fault?

Add as a preferred source on Google

With the resumption of IPL 2025 merely a couple of days away, Delhi Capitals have stirred a new controversy.

The IPL 2025 was suspended for a week due to India-Pakistan conflict and will commence for the final phase on May 17. Due to many foreign players withdrawing, BCCI allowed temporary signings for the franchises.

The new temporary signing depicts that a franchise can rope in a player on a temporary basis. But the player is not eligible for retention for the subsequent auction, which is kind of homologous to the loan system in football. Amid this, Delhi Capitals became the first team to bring in a temporary player, with Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman joining the franchise as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk.

That move has created a negative buzz among Indians as the netizens have cooked the Capitals for bringing in Mustafizur.

IPL 2025: Why is Delhi Capitals under Fire from Indian Netizens?

The hashtag #BoycottDelhiCapitals is trending on social media following the franchise's decision to sign Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman as a replacement for Australian batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, who withdrew from IPL 2025 citing personal reasons.

This move has sparked significant backlash due to the current geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan, and Bangladesh's perceived diplomatic stance. Critics argue that Bangladesh has shown support for Pakistan during recent conflicts, leading to public outrage over the inclusion of a Bangladeshi player in the IPL. Bangladesh itself also disrespected India recently by putting Indian flag in the floor across their universities, just after the uproar in the country which saw the end of Sheikh Hasina's tenure.

Social media users have expressed their disapproval, with some calling for a boycott of the Delhi Capitals and questioning the franchise's decision.

Who is at Fault?

Complicating matters, Mustafizur Rahman is currently with the Bangladesh national team for a T20I series in the UAE, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has stated that they have not received any communication from the IPL regarding his participation. Mustafizur also shared a picture of him flying to UAE for Bangladesh's upcoming matches. He is expected to join the Capitals after May 19.

Amid the uproar on social media, Delhi Capitals are not at fault for signing a player as they have the right to their recruitment. The nationalist sentiments hurting is a risk they took and it has so far backfired for the franchise.