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Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has registered for the mini auction ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season, raising the possibility of his return to the tournament after last year’s controversy.
Mustafizur’s participation in the IPL sparked a major controversy last year. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had picked the Bangladesh pacer at the auction, but the franchise was eventually forced to release him following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The controversy later escalated, with Bangladesh raising security concerns and seeking to move the T20 World Cup out of India. Bangladesh eventually decided not to participate in the tournament.
The latest development has renewed hopes of seeing Mustafizur back in the IPL.
One of Bangladesh’s most recognisable cricketers in the tournament after Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur has played nine IPL seasons for five different franchises.
He made his IPL debut in 2016 and won the Emerging Player of the Year award, becoming the only overseas cricketer to receive the honour.
So far, he has played 60 IPL matches, taking 60 wickets at an economy rate of 8.13 runs per over.
Besides Mustafizur, several other Bangladeshi cricketers are also preparing to enter the auction. Reports suggest that six to seven Bangladesh players have registered, including pacer Nahid Rana, leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and batter Towhid Hridoy.
Players can register for the auction until November 17.
The IPL mini auction will take place in Goa, India, on December 16. Franchises will have the opportunity to strengthen their squads by adding new players alongside those they retain.
Unlike a mega auction, teams will not be able to rebuild their entire squads this time. Instead, they will enter the auction after deciding which players to retain and release.
Under the rules, each franchise can have between 18 and 25 players, including a maximum of eight overseas cricketers.
The total salary cap for each team for the 2027 season is Rs 157 crore. However, the amount available to each franchise for the auction will be determined after the player retention and release process is completed.
