Mushfiqur Rahim pulls out of the upcoming IPL 2020 auction

What’s the story?

Bangladesh wicketkeeper, Mushfiqur Rahim has pulled out of the 2020 IPL Auction set to be held on the 19th of December at Kolkata.

In case you didn’t know

Mushfiqur had been in good form in the recently concluded series against India as he stood out for the Tigers in both the T20Is and the Test matches. While his efforts spearheaded a spirited Bangladesh challenge in the shortest format, his knocks went in vain in red-ball cricket as the visitors were crushed by India.

The heart of the matter

Rather surprisingly, Mushfiqur has decided not to put forth his name for the upcoming IPL auction, meaning that the wicket-keeper wouldn’t go under the hammer. Though he hasn’t yet featured in the IPL, he still represented a good solution for sides looking for a capable wicket-keeper batsman.

However, with his decision to withdraw his name, only six Bangladesh cricketers would be a part of the auction. Unlike Mushfiqur, the likes of Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal and Taskin Ahmed have confirmed their availability for the next edition of the IPL, provided they find themselves a bidder on the 19th of December.

What’s next?

With the auction inching closer, all eyes have inevitably shifted to what it might entail, especially with several high-profile players being up for grabs. A total of 971 cricketers have enrolled themselves for the auction but only 73 spots are available to the eight franchises.

Thus, it would be interesting to see what strategies the sides adopt come the 19th of December in Kolkata.