Mustafiz to play in IPL for Hyderabad

Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman's success stories seem to have no end. His fabulous success with the national team in 2015 made him one of the most sought-after young cricketers all around the world, with Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad offering him a contract. He has now become the sixth Bangladeshi cricketer to receive a contract in the IPL.

During the IPL auction yesterday, the left-arm pacer was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 1.40 crore rupees (approximately Tk 1.64 crore), almost thrice his base price of 50 lakh rupees. There was a bit of a battle between Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the auctions with both teams interested in the player.

However, once Hyderabad bid 1.40 crore rupees, the Royal Challengers backed out of the race.

Since his international debut, Mustafizur has been riding a wave of success both on and off the field. Apart from being the most successful bowler for Bangladesh since his emergence, he is also one of the most valuable brands in the marketplace. 

The other Bangladeshi cricketers drafted in the list did not have similar luck. Despite putting in stellar performances in 2015, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Taskin Ahmed went unsold yesterday. The reason could well be the fact that the national players are still finding their feet in T20 cricket, the newest format of the sport, evidenced by their struggles in the recently concluded Zimbabwe series.

The other players who received IPL contracts in previous editions were Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim. Of them Shakib is the only player who has managed to continue his stint in the lucrative T20 competition.

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday Mustafizur said that he was ecstatic and looks forward to make the most of this opportunity. “Shakib bhai is doing very well in the IPL. Many other players have also played there before. So now it feels really good that I am getting a chance to play there. I hope I can learn and improve my skills by playing in the competition,” he said.

Earlier, Mustafizur was also drafted by the Pakistan Super League team Lahore Qalandars for USD 50,000 in the ongoing Pakistan Super League. But he is not playing in the competition due to a shoulder injury at the time he was drafted.