JioStar terminated its IPL broadcast deal in Bangladesh citing repeated payment defaults by local partner TSports.
The exit means Bangladesh will have no official IPL broadcaster even after the government signalled openness to lifting the ban.
The disruption follows earlier political tensions and a temporary IPL telecast ban, despite strong fan demand in the country.
IPL Blackout in Bangladesh: JioStar Pulls Plug on Broadcast Deal Even as Dhaka Lifts Its Own Ban
In a letter dated February 17 to TSports, which had sublicensed IPL broadcast rights from JioStar for the period 2023 to 2027, Jio declared the agreement terminated "with immediate effect," citing its partner's "continued failure and default in adhering to the payment timelines stipulated under the agreement"
IPL Blackout in Bangladesh: JioStar Pulls Plug on Broadcast Deal Even as Dhaka Lifts Its Own Ban Twitter
Summary
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Bangladesh cricket fans hoping to watch the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season face a blackout, and ironically, it has nothing to do with their own government's earlier ban.
Mukesh Ambani's entertainment venture JioStar has terminated its broadcast agreement with Bangladeshi broadcaster TSports over unpaid dues, according to a document seen by Reuters. This leaves the country without a local broadcaster for the world's richest cricket league even as Dhaka reversed its own restrictions on the tournament.
JioStar Pulls the Plug
In a letter dated February 17 to TSports, which had sublicensed IPL broadcast rights from JioStar for the period 2023 to 2027, Jio repprtedly declared the agreement terminated "with immediate effect," citing its partner's "continued failure and default in adhering to the payment timelines stipulated under the agreement."
A separate JioStar letter of the same date confirmed that broadcast rights for the Women's Premier League (WPL) in Bangladesh have also been terminated on similar grounds, the report added.
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The termination comes even as Bangladesh moved to reverse its own restrictions on IPL broadcasts.
Bangladesh's newly appointed Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan confirmed on Saturday, March 28, that the country had removed its blanket ban on IPL broadcasts ahead of the new season.
Notably, the IPL's latest season began on March 28.
However, with JioStar having already cancelled the broadcast deal months earlier over payment defaults, the policy reversal offers little practical relief to fans.
How the Ban Came About
Bangladesh had imposed the broadcast ban in January, in the backdrop of rising tensions between the two countries. The trigger was the dropping of Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from Kolkata Knight Riders on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The move coincided with a period of heightened bilateral tensions following the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh.
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Notably, India-Bangladesh relations have been under strain since August 2024, when a mass uprising in Dhaka led to a political transition that disrupted previously close ties built under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who subsequently fled to New Delhi.
However, there were signs of a gradual thaw. In February, Tarique Rahman, Prime Minister in the newly formed Bangladesh government, signalled that the country would engage with its neighbours on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests.
The IPL, valued at $18.5 billion, is the world's richest cricket league and commands a massive following across the subcontinent, including in Bangladesh where cricket is a national obsession. With no local broadcaster now in place, Bangladeshi fans will have to look for other means to follow the tournament, at least for this season.