Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman (Credits: BCCI)

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have decided to allow fast-bowler Mustafizur Rahman to register in the upcoming IPL auction. While the pacer has struggled with injuries in recent times, the board has decided to try out his luck in auction in order to see him regain his form. Earlier this year in July, the BCB had barred the pacer from playing T20 leagues because of injury concerns.

Mustafizur Rahman,  who has had such an impact in the Bangladesh bowling line-up after the 2015 World Cup, has not really looked at his best in recent times due to a spate of injuries in the last couple of years. He has finally regained his fitness but is yet to hit the top form with the ball. He recently had an underwhelming tour of India.

The left-arm pacer picked up just one wicket in the three games and leaked runs at 9.51 in the series as India won it by 2-1. With the next T20 World Cup now less than a year ago, the Bangladesh star will be desperate to rediscover his mojo. But with form not on his side at the moment, it would be interesting to see whether he gets the bid in the upcoming auction.

Read More  Jason Gillespie to take charge as Pakistan head coach after terminating contracts with South Australia
Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman (Credits: BCB)

Meanwhile, BCB cricket operation chairman Akram Khan insisted that board changed their stance because Mustafizur is looking more settled with his injury management.

“At that point we did not allow him to make him available for franchise-based cricket largely due to his injury. Now he is looking more settled and he is playing for quite some time [without picking up any serious injury],” Akram was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“He played in the National Cricket League [first-class competition] and took part in the tour of India. If he can manage things properly then there is very little chance of picking up injury. To be honest we are concerned with his form because he is a very important bowler for us. If he gets a chance to play in the IPL and if he can regain his form by playing there then it would be extremely helpful for us,” he added.

As far as playing in IPL is concerned, Mustafizur is not new to it, having already played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. In his first season in 2016, he helped Sunrisers win the IPL title by picking up an impressive 16 wickets.

In 2017, he played just one game before being signed up by Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2018 season. He managed to pick up just seven wickets in seven games for Mumbai Indians and was released after the season ended.

Read More  Babar Azam goes to war with Pakistan Cricket Board!! Skips the Army Camp in Kakul

Six Bangladesh players in contention:

A total of six Bangladesh cricketers have thrown their hats in the ring – Mustafizur Rahman, Tamim Iqbal, Mehidy Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah and Taskin Ahmed – for the auction. Overall, as many as 971 players have thrown their hat in the ring. A total of 713 Indian and 258 overseas players will be in contention make the final shortlist for just the 73 vacant spots across the eight teams.

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir Set To Buy Stake In Delhi Capitals: Report

An avid cricket lover, I just love this game more than anything. Writing about cricket keeps me closer to the game.