He was bought for INR 9.20 in the auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could face a short availability concern regarding overseas pacer Mustafizur Rahman during IPL 2026 due to his international commitments with Bangladesh. The left arm pacer was one of KKR’s major buys at the auction, where the franchise secured him for INR 9.20 crore, the highest price ever paid for a Bangladeshi player in IPL history.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has confirmed that their upcoming series against Pakistan will include two Tests and three ODIs. These matches are likely to be split before and after the Pakistan Super League in March. Earlier, Pakistan were scheduled to play T20Is as well, but those were dropped as the two teams already played a three match T20I series in June.
As per Cricbuzz, Bangladesh proposed playing the ODI leg before the PSL, while the Test matches could be completed in May after the league ends. BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedin explained that the Pakistan series will be played in two phases around the PSL window.
Nazmul also clarified Mustafizur’s IPL status and said that the pacer has been given a No Objection Certificate for the entire IPL season. However, he will briefly return to Bangladesh duty for the three match ODI series against New Zealand. Mustafizur is expected to be away from the IPL for around eight days to play that series, which is important for Bangladesh’s World Cup qualification hopes.
“We have given Mustafizur an NOC for the entire IPL. He will only return to play for the national team during the New Zealand ODI series, which consists of three matches,” Nazmul said .
“He will return for eight days to play the ODI series,” he added.
ALSO READ:
The BCB believes that playing in a competitive tournament like the IPL will help Mustafizur stay sharp ahead of the New Zealand series. Once the ODIs are completed, he is expected to rejoin KKR for the remainder of IPL 2026.
Mustafizur was the only Bangladeshi player to receive a bid at the auction this year. Starting with a base price of INR 2 crore, his name triggered strong interest from Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings before KKR eventually won the bidding war.
Since his IPL debut in 2016, he has played for five franchises and picked up 65 wickets in 60 matches. Along with him, KKR have also purchased Matheesha Pathirana for INR 18 crore.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
