Mustafizur’s IPL spot confirmed, But BCB still in the dark about his participation
Despite Delhi Capitals signing Mustafizur Rahman for ₹6 crore, there remains significant uncertainty over whether he’ll actually play in the IPL.
The news of Mustafizur securing a spot in the IPL came as a surprise even to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The left-arm pacer is part of the Bangladesh squad for both the UAE and Pakistan tours, and the board claims to have no official information about his involvement in the IPL.
Delhi Capitals announced on social media Wednesday afternoon that Mustafizur was being signed as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk ahead of the rescheduled IPL, which had been postponed earlier. The update was also published on the official IPL website.
However, speaking to bdnews24.com, BCB Chief Executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury cast serious doubt over Mustafizur’s IPL participation:
“No decision has been made regarding Mustafizur Rahman playing in the IPL. As of now, he is still part of the Bangladesh team and will travel with the squad to the UAE.”
If all goes according to plan, Mustafizur is set to fly out with the team to the UAE on a 7:30 PM flight Wednesday evening.
The BCB, as of Wednesday evening, had received no official communication from Delhi Capitals or the IPL authorities regarding Mustafizur’s inclusion. In fact, he hadn’t even applied for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the board. The BCB officials were caught off guard when they saw the announcement on social media. One unnamed official remarked:
“We also saw Delhi’s announcement on social media. But we haven’t received any request from the BCCI so far. Usually, for tournaments like this, a formal approach is made by the relevant board regarding a specific player. We make decisions only after that.”
“We can’t rely solely on a social media post or an IPL website update. As far as we know, Mustafizur is scheduled to leave for the UAE tonight with the national team.”
Even if Mustafizur does apply for a NOC later, his availability for the IPL is still uncertain due to the packed national schedule. After the UAE series, Bangladesh is also scheduled to play a T20 series against Pakistan.
In recent times, the BCB has been more flexible when it comes to allowing players to participate in franchise leagues. However, they have always emphasized that national duty takes precedence over any tournament.
The rescheduled IPL is set to resume this Saturday, delayed due to the India-Pakistan conflict. On the same day, Bangladesh will face the UAE in their first T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with the second match on Monday at the same venue.
Following the UAE series, Bangladesh is supposed to head to Pakistan for a five-match T20I series. According to the current plan, the final match will take place on June 3 — the same day as the IPL final.
Like the IPL, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was also pushed back due to the India-Pakistan conflict. That may lead to changes in Bangladesh’s tour schedule as well. There are talks of delaying the Pakistan series by a couple of days.
In such a scenario, Mustafizur may not get the opportunity to play in the IPL even after completing national duties. The BCB will then face a critical decision: whether to release the experienced pacer for franchise cricket by excusing him from international fixtures.
