Mustafizur Rahman enjoys playing in the IPL more than playing for Bangladesh, says Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam

Bangladesh fast-bowler Shoriful Islam has stated that his compatriot Mustafizur Rahman enjoys playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) more than playing for the country.

The left-arm pacer is currently plying his trade for reigning champions Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2024. He is the only Bangladesh player who is playing in IPL 2024. The fast-bowler has been playing in the IPL since 2016.

Barring the 2019 season when he was not given the No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board over fitness concerns, Mustafizur Rahman has played in each IPL season since 2016. He has been in fine form in the ongoing season.

The Bangladesh ace is CSK's leading wicket-taker this season. In the very first match of the season, he picked up four wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and has not looked back since then. In six games so far, he has picked up 11 wickets for the defending champions.

Mustafizur Rahman enjoys playing in the IPL more:

As Mustafizur Rahman is busy playing for CSK in IPL 2024, Shoriful Islam has insisted that his Bangladesh teammate enjoys playing in the IPL more because of less pressure. The comments have come after Mustafizur Rahman's contrasting performances in IPL and international cricket. While he has struggled to make an impact in international cricket in recent times, he has been in fine form in the IPL.

"I watch every game and every ball Mustafizur bowls. I talk to him the day after the matches," Shoriful was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

"I think he [Mustafizur] enjoys playing in the IPL more than playing for the Bangladesh team. It is because the pressure is less there. Perhaps, there are a lot of expectations when playing for Bangladesh and you come under immense pressure if you don't play well.

"He (Mustafizur) is performing regularly. It is just that he has been unable to perform in the last two or three games (for the national team). What I mean by pressure is that everyone's expectations are quite high because of his performance over the last couple of years. Perhaps he couldn't meet the expectations in the last one or two games," he added.

Mustafizur Rahman to return home soon:

Mustafizur Rahman will be returning home soon to join the Bangladesh team for the series against Zimbabwe that gets underway on May 3. He will be available for three more games for the Chennai-based franchise. The game against Punjab Kings on May 1 will be his last for CSK before he returns to Bangladesh.

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