3 Bangladesh players who will be in demand in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction
Although there has never been an abundance of Bangladesh players in the Indian Premier League (IPL), gone are the days when Bangladesh were regarded as minnows of the cricketing fraternity.
Over the years, there have been some Bangladesh players who have managed to bag an IPL contract and participate in cricket's grandest T20 league.
Abdur Razzak was the first Bangladesh player to feature in the inaugural season of the IPL when bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL 2008 Auction. Mohammad Ashraful and Mashrafe Mortaza also managed to bag IPL contracts the following year but failed to make any impact.
More recently, Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman were the only two Bangladesh players to feature in the IPL 2021.
The recent lot of Bangladesh players have proven that they are no mugs in the T20 format with series wins over Australia and New Zealand in recent times. There are a few players who might be on the radar of the IPL franchises for the upcoming season.
With the IPL 2022 auction just around the corner and 10 teams taking part next year, we take a look at three players who could be in demand for the upcoming season.
#1 Shakib Al Hasan
Perhaps the most obvious name on this list, Bangladesh's elite all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, will be a player who might earn a big contract in the upcoming IPL. Having played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, the world's number one all-rounder has the ability and experience in his locker.
Shakib Al Hasan has 793 runs in 50 IPL innings and has also bagged 63 wickets in 71 matches, at an economy rate of just 7.44. Considering that Shakib operates in the powerplays, those are impressive bowling numbers.
#2 Mustafizur Rahman
There aren't too many players in the world that can provide what Mustafizur Rahman does. The left-arm pacer was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and won the Emerging Player of the Tournament that year.
The Bangladesh pacer also played for the Mumbai Indians before signing for Rajasthan Royals in 2021. "The Fizz" has plenty of experience playing in the IPL and is one of the best T20 bowlers around, who will be in demand when the IPL 2022 auction comes around.
#3 Mahedi Hasan could earn a maiden IPL contract
A somewhat lesser known entity amongst some of the stalwart names in the Bangladesh ranks, Mahedi Hasan has all the makings of a valuable asset to any T20 side.
The 27-year old is a handy off-spinner who operates with the new ball in powerplays and can also be used as a floater in the batting order with his explosive potential with the bat. Mahedi Hasan (not to be confused with his teammate Mehidy Hasan Miraz) is also a gun fielder who might be on the radar of a few IPL franchises.