IPL 2021 Auction: Mushfiqur Rahim Added To The Player List At The Last Moment

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim made a late entry into the IPL 2021 auction with a base price of INR 1 crore. Though the former Bangladesh captain has been part of the auction since the IPL 2008, he has been going unsold in every single edition of the IPL auction, making it 13 times, he has failed to find a buyer.

The IPL 2021 auction will be taking place on February 18 in Chennai and will see the eight franchises trying to fill 61 available spots in their teams. A total of 292 players are scheduled to under the hammer and 164 of them are Indian players alone. Previously, the Bangladeshi cricketer had opted not to register for the auction and had not put his name in the hat for a chance to play in IPL 2021.

Bangladeshi Players In The IPL Thus Far

The company that manages Mushfiqur Rahim’s social media accounts, NIBCO, had previously stated that Mushfiqur hadn’t registered for the auction and decided to opt-out. Mushfiqur Rahim had made his Bangladesh debut in 2006 and has been an integral part of the national setup.

“We have not made any submission for Mushfiqur Rahim for IPL this time,” an official from the NIBCO was quoted as saying to New Age earlier.

In 86 T20Is, the right-hander has scored 1,282 runs at an average and strike-rate of 20.03 and 120.03 respectively. He also has five half-centuries to show for his efforts. In the T20 format, he has 4,288 runs in 202 matches at an average and strike-rate of 28.97 and 127.96 respectively.

Though Mushfiqur has never been part of the IPL even once, other Bangladeshi players have taken part in the tournament for various franchises. The most famous of them being Shakib Al Hasan, who has been a regular feature in the most popular T20 league in the world and has won the IPL twice in 2012 and 2014 with the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise.

Apart from him, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mustafizur Rahman, and Abdur Razzak have been part of this T20 extravaganza.

The IPL 2021 auction will be broadcasted live on Star Sports and live-streamed on Disney-HotStar from 3.00 PM IST.

Also Read: Kings XI Punjab Renamed To Punjab Kings Ahead Of The IPL 2021 Auction; Unveil New Logo