Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who had been signed by Dubai Capitals as a direct replacement for England’s Luke Wood ahead of the IL T20 auction, has been released by the franchise before the tournament began.
Haider Ali has already been brought in as Mustafizur’s replacement. The franchise has not publicly disclosed the exact reason for his absence, but it is widely believed that he was unable to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the tournament due to a scheduling clash with the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Despite Mustafizur’s absence, two other Bangladeshi players will feature in the IL T20. All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and pacer Taskin Ahmed were both acquired through the auction. Shakib went unsold in the first round but was picked up by MI Emirates in the second round for $40,000, while Taskin was signed by Sharjah Warriors for $80,000.
The BPL is scheduled to take place in December, although the exact dates have yet to be finalised. Shakib, who has not played in Bangladesh for a year, will be available for the full IL T20 tournament. Taskin’s participation will depend on receiving a no-objection certificate from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which has previously granted similar clearance for Rishad Hossain to play in the Big Bash, held at the same time.
