Mustafizur Rahman, a pacer for Bangladesh, flew out to India on a chartered aircraft early on Saturday to join his Indian Premier League (IPL) side, Delhi Capitals.
At eight in the morning, the private aircraft leaving Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport took off bearing the left-arm pacer.\
After Bangladesh’s third Twenty20 match against Ireland on Friday night, Mustafiz left Chattogram and came back to Dhaka.
Mustafiz may play for the Delhi Capitals when they take on the Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday in Lucknow to kick off their IPL season.
Anrich Nortje, another prominent international pacer for Delhi, is absent because he is representing South Africa in their ongoing One-Day International (ODI) match against the Netherlands. The Bangladesh pacer may very well be given access to the starting XI as a result of Nortje’s absence.
Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das are the other Bangladeshi cricketers who were purchased from the sale to participate in this year’s IPL in addition to Mustafiz.
The Kolkata Knight Riders, who will also launch their IPL campaign on Saturday in the twilight match against Punjab Kings, selected both Shakib and Liton.
Shakib and Liton, unlike Mustafiz, haven’t been permitted to join their IPL team yet because they are both expected to be selected in the Bangladesh squad for the lone Test against Ireland, which is scheduled to start in Dhaka on 4 April.
Nazmul Hassan, the head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), hinted once more on Friday that Shakib and Liton would depart for the IPL following the test match against Ireland.
“I don’t see any reason why they (Shakib, Liton) wouldn’t play (in the Test). They are not injured. Then why wouldn’t they play?” Nazmul said after the third T20 between Bangladesh and Ireland at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
