Mustafizur Rahman rules himself out of PAK vs BAN series after playing in the IPL

Bangladesh have suffered a setback ahead of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan, which is scheduled to commence on Wednesday, May 28. Left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been ruled out due to a thumb injury sustained while playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2025 season.

Mustafizur Rahman suffered the injury to his left hand during the IPL 2025 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Jaipur on Saturday, May 24. The incident occurred when he attempted a return catch off Australian batter Josh Inglis. Mustafizur finished with bowling figures of 3 for 33 in his four overs.

Mustafizur Rahman Ruled Out of Pakistan Series Due to Thumb Injury

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Bangladesh team physio Delowar Hossain said that Mustafizur Rahman sustained a clip fracture on his left thumb during his final IPL match. Hossain stated that the injury will keep him out of action for two to three weeks.

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"Mustafizur suffered a clip fracture on his left thumb while playing his last match of the Indian Premier League yesterday," Hossain told ESPNCricinfo.

"This injury requires a period of rest and rehabilitation. As per our current assessment, he will be unavailable for selection for the next two to three weeks. We will conduct a follow-up evaluation after two weeks to monitor his recovery progress," he added.

Khaled Ahmed Replaces Mustafizur Rahman in Bangladesh T20I Squad

Mustafizur Rahman has become the third player to miss the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan. Earlier, fast bowler Nahid Rana withdrew due to personal reasons, while Soumya Sarkar missed out due to a back injury. The selectors named Mehidy Hasan Miraz as Sarkar’s replacement.

Notably, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has named Khaled Ahmed as Mustafizur's replacement. The right-arm pacer has been in excellent form throughout the 2024–25 season, taking 77 wickets at an average of 21.74 across formats.

Khaled also impressed in the recent Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), picking up 20 wickets at 21.55. However, he is yet to make his T20I debut for Bangladesh. He has played 16 Test matches and two ODIs for the national cricket team.

Bangladesh Come Into Pakistan Tour After Series Loss to UAE

Bangladesh are set to face Pakistan in the three-match T20I series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The matches will be played on May 28, May 30, and June 1. This series is part of the preparations ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2025.

The first group of Bangladesh’s squad arrived in Lahore on May 25. Litton Das will lead the team as captain. Bangladesh are coming into the series after a setback. They lost a T20I series 2-1 to the UAE in Sharjah. This defeat was their second series loss against associate nations in T20 cricket.

Bangladesh's updated squad for Pakistan T20Is: Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan (vc), Tanvir Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Shoriful Islam

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