Patriotism Comes First For Me: Mustafizur Rahman To Prioritize National Duty Over IPL

Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman has made it clear that for him patriotism will always come first and that he will not be feature in the Indian Premier League [IPL] at the cost of missing games for his country.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) recently confirmed that the national side will be touring Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series in the month of April.

The Test series will collide with the Indian Premier League where the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman will be plying their trade for Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.

The BCB has confirmed that it will be handing out ‘No Objection Certificates’ to the players as it does not force them into playing for the national team against their wishes.

Shakin Al Hasan will be applying for the NOC but Mustafizur Rahman has made it clear that he will not be putting the IPL ahead of national duty and he’ll be willing to do whatever the authorities ask him to.

“I will do what BCB asks me to do. If they keep me in the Test squad (for the tour of Sri Lanka) then I will play Tests and if they (BCB) don’t keep me in Test then they know what I should do. My first priority is to play for my country and if I am picked in the Test series against Sri Lanka, I will naturally play,” Mustafizur Rahman told reporters before leaving for New Zealand on Tuesday.

“If I am not picked then BCB will tell me that I am not included. At that point, if I am given NOC to play in the IPL then I will play but patriotism comes first for me,” he added.

For the uninitiated, Mustafizur Rahman will be making a comeback to the Indian Premier League after a gap of three years in the upcoming season. The southpaw was picked at a base price of Rs 1 Crore by Rajasthan Royals in the recent auction.

Also Read: IPL 2021: BCB To Allow Mustafizur Rahman To Skip National Duty And Feature For Rajasthan Royals