Taskin upset after another IPL snub 

Bangladesh speedster Taskin Ahmed rued yet another missed opportunity to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).  

The 28-year-old, who has just recovered from an injury, had to withdraw his name from the IPL auction after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to give him clearance to play in the premier franchise league. 

"This is the third time that an opportunity (to play in the IPL) came calling. I'll have to miss it this time as well. It feels a bit bad because everyone wants to play in all franchise leagues. It's not just from the IPL, I get offers from different leagues," Taskin told reporters following a training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. 

Despite his withdrawal, however, two franchises, reportedly Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings showed interest in signing Taskin but upon another request to the board, he was yet again denied the clearance to embark on a maiden IPL journey, considering his proneness to injury doubled with Bangladesh's international schedule which collides with the tournament's fixtures, making the availability of Bangladesh players during the tournament a major obstacle. 

"The board does not want to give clearance for different reasons. There are matches for the national team and issues with health. I talked with the board this time as well and they told me that they would consider it but of course, it does not feel good to miss out on such franchise leagues. Everyone wants to play in those, and so do I. I hope it will happen in the future," Taskin said. 

Taskin missed out on Bangladesh's two-match Test series at home followed by a white-ball tour of New Zealand due to injury that he suffered from during the 2023 World Cup in November. He has since made a full recovery and is set to feature in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League starting on January 19.