Congress MP Shashi Tharoor defended the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) decision to select Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman for the IPL, stating that cricket should not bear the burden of political issues or attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Tharoor emphasized that Rahman is a sportsman with no personal connection to these concerns and that isolating neighbours over sporting decisions is counterproductive. He urged that diplomatic efforts to protect minorities in Bangladesh should continue separately from sporting engagements.