IPL 2021: Mustafizur Rahman granted NOC by BCB to play in IPL
Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman has been given a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to take part in IPL 2021. It will be his first appearance in the tournament in three years.
Mustafizur Rahman will play for Rajasthan Royals, who picked him at his base price of INR 1 crore at this year’s auction.
The 25-year-old will not feature in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka scheduled for next month. So the BCB felt it would be better for the pacer to sharpen his white-ball skills in the IPL. BCB's chief selector Minhajul Abedin confirmed to Cricbuzz in this regard:
"We have given him NOC for IPL, as he is not in our Test plans for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. It's better if he plays there and gains some experience."
The NOC issue for IPL snowballed into a major controversy in Bangladesh cricket. Senior all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan claimed that the BCB misinterpreted his letter, seeking permission to skip the Sri Lanka Tests to play in the IPL.
The Bangladesh board threatened to revoke the veteran’s player's NOC. However, the matter has since been settled, and Shakib left for India on Saturday. He was purchased by KKR for INR 3.2 crore in the auction earlier this year.
In the wake of the Shakib controversy, Mustafizur Rahman issued a statement that he would give the IPL a miss if chosen for the Sri Lanka series.
"My first priority is to play for my country, and if I am picked in the Test series against Sri Lanka, I will naturally play. If I am not picked, then BCB will tell me that I am not included. At that point, if I am given NOC to play in the IPL, then I will play, but patriotism comes first for me,'' Mustafizur was quoted as saying in media reports.
Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL record
Mustafizur Rahman made his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2016 season.
He had an impressive campaign, claiming 17 wickets in 16 matches at a strike-rate of 21.52 and a brilliant economy rate of 6.9. For his stellar exploits, he was named the 'Emerging Player of the Tournament'.
Rehman played only one game in IPL 2017 before he had to return to a national training camp for the Champions Trophy.
The Bangladesh bowler was purchased by Mumbai Indians in the 2018 IPL auction, picking up seven wickets in as many matches for his new team that season.
Mustafizur Rahman was denied NOC by the BCB for both IPL 2019 and IPL 2020 owing to his national commitments.
The left-armer is currently part of Bangladesh's limited-overs squad in New Zealand.