The newly formed Taliban government have banned the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Afghanistan. The IPL 2021 season had resumed on Sunday for its second phase due to the COVID-19 virus that had entered the IPL’s bio bubble in India that caused a halt in the seasons’ proceedings. The IPL includes the participation of top Afghanistan cricketers like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman. The second phase of the IPL resumed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which is also an Islamic state, saw the first match take place on Sunday between the Chennai Super Kings and the current champions Mumbai Indians.
Ridiculous: Taliban have banned the broadcasting of Indian Premier League (IPL) in Afghanistan.
Taliban have warned that Afghan media outlets should not broadcast the Indian Cricket League due to girls dancing and the presence of female audience and spectators in stadiums.— Fawad Aman (@FawadAman2) September 21, 2021
The ban of the IPL broadcast was spoken about by the former Afghan Cricket Board media manager Ibrahim Mimand who took to Twitter to state the reason for the ban due to the display of anti-Islam content of female cheerleaders and the limited attendance that include women with barred hair in the stands. The ban has also be reported by many journalists of the country on social media.
The new Afghan sports chief Ahmad Rustamzai had come out to say that the Taliban will allow 400 sports to take place but had not confirmed if the women of the country would be allowed to play any of the 400 sports. He denied stating anything regarding women’s participation in sport by saying “Please don’t ask more questions about women,” as he told AFP.