Indian sports presenter Ridhima Pathak clears air on exiting Bangladesh Premier League

She stressed she wasn't dropped by Bangladesh board but had voluntarily chosen to withdraw

Last updated: January 07, 2026 | 17:58

Jai Rai, Assistant Editor

2 MIN READ

Indian sports presenter Ridhima Pathak

Dubai: Indian sports presenter Ridhima Pathak addressed speculation surrounding her association with the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2026 by issuing a clarification on social media on Wednesday. She stressed that she was not dropped by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) but had voluntarily chosen to withdraw, stating that her country would always take priority.

Her statement came in response to reports claiming a strain in sporting relations between India and Bangladesh, which suggested that Pathak had been removed from the BPL hosting lineup. The latest edition of the tournament is currently underway in Sylhet.

Speaking to Zee News, Pathak dismissed the claims, saying, “I never even set foot in Bangladesh. I never went for the league. I had opted out while I was working on the ILT20. They had approached me because they lacked local talent. I was considering joining them after the ILT20, but given everything that transpired, I decided not to go.”

A well-known face on cricket broadcasts for Star Sports and Sony Sports in India, Pathak was originally set to co-host the BPL 2025—26 alongside Pakistan presenter Zainab Abbas. However, following her decision to step away, the BPL restructured its presentation and commentary team. Zainab Abbas has since arrived in Bangladesh, joined by seasoned commentators Waqar Younis, Ramiz Raja, and Darren Gough, while Pathak will no longer be part of the panel.

Relations between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board have reportedly deteriorated in recent weeks. The situation escalated after the BCCI requested Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad.

In response, the Bangladesh government imposed a ban on live broadcasts of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and urged that Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches be shifted to Sri Lanka.

Subsequently, the BCB convened an emergency meeting and formally appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup fixtures from India, citing security concerns, while reiterating the IPL broadcast ban. However, the ICC reportedly informed Bangladesh that the matches must be played in India, warning that failure to comply could result in forfeiture.

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Jai RaiAssistant Editor

Jai is a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience across India and the UAE, specialising in sports reporting. Throughout his distinguished career, he has had the privilege of covering some of the biggest names and events in sports, including cricket, tennis, Formula 1 and golf. A former first-division cricket league captain himself, he brings not only a deep understanding of the game but also a cricketer's discipline to his work. His unique blend of athletic insight and journalistic expertise gives him a wide-ranging perspective that enriches his storytelling, making his coverage both detailed and engaging. Driven by an unrelenting passion for sports, he continues to craft compelling narratives that resonate with readers. As the day winds down for most, he begins his work, ensuring that the most captivating stories make it to the print edition in time for readers to receive them bright and early the next morning.