It is unlikely that Mustafizur Rahman, a left-arm bowler for Bangladesh, would play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final leg. The Delhi Capitals (DC) have recruited the bowler as a temporary replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk, but it is unclear if he will play in the competition.
The Delhi Capitals were forced to recruit Mustafizur as a temporary player because Fraser-McGurk decided not to participate in the 18th IPL for personal reasons. However, the 29-year-old confirmed on social media that he was going to Dubai with the Bangladeshi team for the two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 17 and 19.
According to the allegations, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has not yet issued him a No-Objection Certificate (NOC). The Indian Premier League had to be halted for a week owing to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. Most of the foreign players flew home after the halt and are attempting to return to India as soon as possible.
Several bilateral series are clashing with the league’s altered calendar, rendering several players unavailable as they prioritise their national commitments. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) changed the regulation and provision for temporary signings because this became an issue for a number of teams.
Heading to UAE to play against them. Keep me in your prayers. pic.twitter.com/dI7DHTfj73
— Mustafizur Rahman (@Mustafiz90) May 14, 2025
Players like Rishad Hossain and Nahid Rana chose to leave the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and join the national squad in Dubai, thus the BCB is reportedly cautious about selecting a choice that won't cause friction with the PCB and the BCCI.
According to a Bangladesh Cricket Board official cited by Cricbuzz, "We are not saying that we won't let Mustafizur play in the IPL for the Delhi Capitals, but at the same time, there is a thing called national commitment and he needs to fulfil that."
The director further questioned, "What would we have done with the two cricket players who participated in the PSL if we had released him in that case? They could have asked why we weren't releasing them."
Rahman, a left-arm pacer, may join the DC team after Monday, but he won't play in the match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Delhi. The last league games for the Axar Patel-led club are against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 21 and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 24.
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