Chennai Super Kings pacer Mustafizur Rahman will not be available after May 1. The deadline has been set by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) with the national team set to play five-match T20I series against Bangladesh at home starting from May 3. There is no scope of the left-arm pacer returning as Bangladesh will also play three T20Is against the USA in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.
In fact, BCB has extended the deadline by a day as they had asked Mustafizur to return from April 30. But with CSK having a match against Punjab Kings on May 1, they have agreed to extend the availability by a day after requests from BCCI and Chennai team management. Accordingly, the bowler will now be available for back to back matches against Lucknow Super Giants on April 19 and 23, against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 28 and against Punjab Kings on May 1.
"We had given Mustafizur a leave to play in the IPL till April 30, but since Chennai has a match on May 1, we have extended his leave by a day upon receiving a request from Chennai and the BCCI," Shahriar Nafees, BCB's deputy manager of cricket operations, said according to ESPNCricinfo.
Mustafizur Rahman is in the middle of a brilliant season in IPL having picked up 10 wickets in five matches so far at an average of 18.3. The conditions at the Chepauk (MA Chidambaram Stadium) have suited perfectly for his style of bowling. This is also his best IPL season since 2021 when he played for Rajasthan Royals. CSK are currently enjoying a five-day break after their resounding win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. They defended 206 runs with some smart bowling and are currently at third place with four wins from six matches so far.
