Bangladesh's veteran left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is set to register for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 mini-auction after a controversial snub last edition. Mustafizur was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the mini-auction after he was released by Delhi Capitals (DC). But he was released by KKR upon the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) instruction. In response, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) withdrew from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, a move they regretted later.
Along with Mustafizur, pacers Nahid Rana, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and batter Towhid Hridoy are other Bangladesh players who are set to register for the auction.
“It is a regular procedure for the IPL mini-auction. The BCCI has reached out to every cricket board and asked them to register the names of players who are interested in participating. Mustafizur is registering for the mini-auction,” the source told India Today.
“Yes, Nahid Rana, Rishad Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Towhid Hridoy, Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam have also registered.”
While Mustafizur has been a veteran of T20 franchise cricket, young pacer Rana can be a promising prospect for several franchises. His raw pace and the ability to extract extra bounce can start a bidding war in the mini-auction.
The full list of players who have registered is likely to be announced later this month once all franchises confirm their list of retained and released players on November 17. The IPL 2027 mini-auction will be held on December 16 in Goa.
ALSO READ: New Zealand's Bevon Jacobs scores 202, smashes 21 sixes in jaw-dropping batting display
Mustafizur, Rana to choose IPL over PSL?
In the previous mini-auction, KKR acquired Mustafizur’s services for a whopping Rs 9.2 crore after an intense bidding war with his former franchises Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and DC. His departure hampered KKR’s plans. They had to rope in Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani as his replacement. Muzarabani played only a few games before he was benched. After Bangladesh pacer’s departure, Matheesha Pathirana’s injury further depleted KKR’s pace attack.
After the KKR snub, Mustafizur marked his Pakistan Super League (PSL) return. He represented Lahore Qalandars after eight years, playing five games and bagging six wickets. Also, Rana made his PSL debut for Peshawar Zalmi. He claimed nine wickets for them at an average of 10.88 before leaving the competition for national duty.
Mustafizur has 163 wickets in 130 T20Is. He has 423 wickets in his T20 career. Rana is a T20 rookie. From five T20Is, he has eight wickets. The 24-year-old has played just 39 T20s so far and taken 42 wickets. The only minus point for Rana is his fitness of late.
Other 5 Bangladesh players’ T20 records
Mahmud has played 26 T20Is for Bangladesh, taking 28 wickets. Apart from Bangladesh, the foreign T20 leagues he has played in are the Lanka Premier League and the T20 Blast. Overall, he has 121 wickets in 108 games, featuring two four-wicket hauls.
The tall leg-spinner Rishad played for Hobart Hurricanes last Big Bash League (BBL) season, taking 15 wickets from 12 games at an average of 20.86. He has a regular in the Bangladesh side, taking 82 wickets from 62 T20Is, including a four-fer. He can contribute with the bat down the order as well on his day. His sole T20I half-century came against Sri Lanka.
31-year-old Taskin is yet to be picked by any IPL franchise. Apart from BPL, he has featured in LPL and ILT20. He has been in and out of the Bangladesh T20I side. From 90 T20Is, he has 106 wickets, including three four-fers. In his overall T20 career, he has 270 wickets from 213 games, featuring two fifers and eight four-fers.
Shoriful is an underrated pacer on the Bangladesh side. The tall pacer has 69 wickets in 64 T20Is. But he has struggled with injuries. In the previous PSL edition, he represented Peshawar Zalmi. Overall, he has played 166 T20 games, taking 203 wickets at an average of 22.52, including one fifer and four four-wicket hauls.
Hridoy is a top-order batter who can fit in the middle order as well. He has represented Bangladesh in 67 T20Is, scoring 1,462 runs from 61 innings at an average of 28.66. His strike rate of 127.13 is not impressive. Notably, he has played plenty of T20Is in challenging batting conditions of Bangladesh. He has seven half-centuries to his name. The 25-year-old is yet to feature in prominent T20 leagues. In 163 T20 innings of his career, he has scored 4,261 runs at an average of 31.33 and a strike rate of 130.62. He has two tons and 24 fifties to his name.
Will Bangladesh players be available for entire IPL 2027?
For now, Bangladesh are scheduled to play a T20I series against Bangladesh on Nepal soil from March 26 to 30. If Bangladesh players are picked and the series clashes with the IPL 2027 schedule, they are unlikely to leave for the Nepal tour. Even if they leave, they will only miss a few games.
India to tour Bangladesh in January?
The relations between BCCI and BCB have improved after former captain Tamim Iqbal took over as president. BCB is hopeful that India's postponed tour of Bangladesh will take place soon. Earlier, India Today had reported that the January window is being explored for a six-match white-ball series. There is no official word on the revised schedule.
"At the moment, they are still hopeful. It was rescheduled with the consent of both boards. So, as of now, that's all the information we have. Hopefully, let's see how things unfold," the source added.
The last time India toured Bangladesh for a series was in 2022. India won the Test series 2-0, whereas Bangladesh won the three-ODI series 2-1.
What are the chances of IND vs BAN white-ball series in January 2026?
In January 2027, India are scheduled to host Zimbabwe for an ODI series from January 3 to 9. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2027 begins on January 21. The time in between can feature at least a T20I series. If the ODI series is a part of the schedule too, then India may send a second-string squad as they would like to prepare for the all-important five-Test series against Australia at home.