Afghanistan’s new Taliban Government has prohibited the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL 2021 would include top Afghan cricketers such as Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb ur Rahman.
On Sunday (September 19), the IPL 2021 season started in the United Arab Emirates, which is also an Islamic state, with a match between Chennai Super Kings and reigning champions Mumbai Indians.
Former Afghanistan Cricket Board media manager M Ibrahim Momand tweeted stating that due to possible anti-Islam content, girls dancing and the attendance of barred hair women in the Islamic Emirates of the Taliban, IPL broadcast has been banned in the country.
Other journalists from the country also reported that the Taliban government had banned the IPL being broadcast.
Last week, Afghanistan’s new sports chief said that the Taliban will allow 400 sports – but declined to confirm if women can play a single one. “Please don’t ask more questions about women,” Bashir Ahmad Rustamzai told news agency AFP.
During the extremists’ brutal and oppressive regime from 1996 to 2001, women were completely banned from playing any sport while men’s sport was tightly controlled. Women were also largely banned from education and work.
Many Afghan women and women’s rights activists globally fear a repeat of such policies after the group toppled the US-backed government last month.
