Still echoing through the game, the fallout from leaving out Mustafizur Rahman lingers nearly three months since the Bangladeshi bowler got blocked from suiting up for Kolkata Knight Riders. Speaking publicly for the first time on the matter, IPL chairperson Arun Dhumal stepped into the spotlight around a deal once hailed as groundbreaking – now torn apart by tensions beyond the boundary ropes. That twist further stirred Dhaka’s choice to step away from hosting duties for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Back then, Mustafizur landed a massive contract in December as KKR picked him up for Rs 9.20 crore. That price tag made him the costliest Bangladeshi ever seen in the tournament so far. Still, due to a ruling by the BCCI, the team had no choice but to let him go. Looking back, Dhumal said it stings not having the left-arm bowler around for 2026
Unluckily, that’s how life goes sometimes. Not knowing more, I can’t add much else. Things just happen without warning. Running matches isn’t something officials should dive into daily. Still, backing the sport overall? That’s where support sits. Yet things unfold near us, choices trail behind. Good judgment will likely win out – Dhumal said it won’t play out this way again, speaking to the Financial Times.
Mustafizur joins Lahore Qalandars for PSL
Right away things went downhill. Upset by the ICC’s refusal to shift games from India, the Bangladesh Cricket Board pulled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Because of that gap, Scotland stepped in. Their spot vanished fast.
Even though left out of the IPL, Mustafizur landed at Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League. A much smaller paycheck – around INR 2 crore – didn’t slow him down one bit. Two matches into the PSL, and his economy sat tight at 4.87, backed by two dismissals. On the global stage, his edge hasn’t dulled either; during a brief ODI tour of Pakistan, he snared five wickets in three games, highlighted by a burst of three in a single match.
