Mustafizur unlikely to get any compensation
Kolkata (PTI): Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman is unlikely to receive any financial compensation after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders on the instructions of the BCCI, despite having no role in the circumstances that led to the termination of his contract.
Mustafizur was bought by KKR for Rs 9.20 crore at the IPL auction following competitive bids from Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. The Indian Board didn't specify the reasons for its decision and merely stated that it was necessitated by "the developments all around".
In a retaliatory move, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has demanded the shifting of their T20 World Cup games from India to Sri Lanka.
While the move has triggered debate over the player's rights, especially since he neither voluntarily pulled out of the competition nor was accused of any wrongdoing, sources say the existing insurance framework leaves little room for compensation.
"The salaries of all IPL players are insured. For foreign international players, normally the franchise pays if he is injured after joining the camp or during the course of the tournament.
"Normally up to 50 percent is paid from insurance. It is better for India’s injured centrally contracted cricketers who normally get paid by the BCCI," an IPL source in the know of things told PTI on condition of anonymity.
However, Mustafizur's case does not fall under the standard insurance clauses. Since the release was not due to injury or a cricketing reason linked to participation in the league, KKR are not contractually bound to pay him any amount.
"In case of an insurance claim, this current situation isn't covered so KKR are under no official obligation to pay a penny.
"It is unfortunate but Mustafizur doesn't have much option but to take a legal route and that too IPL comes under Indian law jurisdiction. No overseas cricketer would want to go through this or take the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) route," the source said.
The BCB has also withdrawn Mustafizur's No Objection Certificate to participate in the IPL, which further weakens his case.
The source further explained that the broader geopolitical context also acts as a deterrent.
"The Indo-Bangladesh political scenario is way more fluid than Indo-Pak and it can change next year, so why would one take the risk of legal recourse," the source added.
As things stand, despite being a high-value acquisition and having no disciplinary or professional breach against him, Mustafizur appears set to walk away empty-handed, underscoring the limitations of player protection in situations driven by political and administrative considerations rather than sport.
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86 nations, two int'l organisations sign AI Impact Summit declaration: IT Min Vaishnaw
New Delhi (PTI): As many as 86 countries and two international organisations have signed the AI Impact Summit declaration, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said, adding that the US, UK, Canada, China, Denmark, and Germany are among the signatories.
The strong global backing for the declaration comes at the conclusion of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Vaishnaw told reporters that nations across the world have formalised and upheld principles of 'welfare of all, and happiness of all'.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's human-centric AI vision been accepted by the world. Democratising Artificial Intelligence resources so AI facilities, services and technology can reach everyone in society has been accepted by all," the minister said.
Balancing economic growth with social good has been prioritised, he added.
"Not just economic growth, even social harmony has to be kept in mind. Safety and trust are at the centre, they have been brought among the main points," Vaishnaw said, adding that a secure, trustworthy and robust AI framework has been focused on.
Other major areas of thrust include innovations and development of human capital, he noted.
"For all these areas, all countries have agreed to work together. Almost all countries that participated, including the US, the UK, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, and Germany... everyone has participated," the minister said.
The mega AI Impact Summit secured investment commitments of over USD 250 billion in infrastructure alone, with Vaishnaw on Friday terming it a "grand success".
Vaishnaw had said participation at the summit crossed five lakh visitors, reflecting strong domestic and global engagement with India's AI push.
The India AI Impact Summit brought together global policymakers, industry leaders and technology experts, positioning India as a key player in shaping international AI governance and infrastructure development.
"More than five lakh visitors participated in the exhibition, learnt a lot, and interacted with many experts from around the world. We had practically every major AI player in the world participating in large numbers. We had so many startups getting the opportunity to showcase their work. Overall, the quality of the discussion was phenomenal," he had said.
Be it the ministerial dialogue, the leaders' plenary, the main inauguration function, or the Summit overall, the quality of participation and dialogue was phenomenal, Vaishnaw had pointed out.
The investment pledges have crossed USD 250 billion for infra-related capital and around USD 20 billion on VC/deep tech investments.
Vaishnaw had said that the Summit reflected the world's confidence in India's role in the new AI age.
Delhi played host to a lineup of global tech heavyweights this week - Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft's Brad Smith and Anthropic's Dario Amodei - as discussions spanned most intensely debated global topics in the tech universe, from AI's opportunities and risks, all the way to AGI, governance and the future of jobs.
