Mustafizur to miss eight days of IPL

Bangladesh Cricket Board official said on Thursday the upcoming series against Pakistan, comprising two Tests and three ODIs, will be played on either side of the Pakistan Super League in March.

Pakistan was slated to play two Tests along with three ODIs and as many T20Is in March but now they will only play Tests and ODIs considering they already played a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in June, which was part of the bilateral series.

Cricbuzz understand Bangladesh proposed Pakistan to play three ODIs before PSL while completing the Test segment in May after the competition is over.

"It (remaining part of Pakistan series) has to be in two parts (before and after PSL)," BCB cricket operation chairman Nazmul Abedin told reporters on Wednesday.

Cricbuzz reported earlier that Mustafizur Rahman, who was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders, will not be available for the entire Indian Premier League due to the New Zealand series.

Nazmul insisted Mustafizur will return for eight days from the IPL and be available for the ODI series against New Zealand, which they are desperate to win and earn a direct entry into next World Cup.

Bangladesh are currently placed 10th in the ICC ODI rankings and have played only nine bilateral ODI matches in 2025, managing just three victories. With direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa at stake, Bangladesh must climb back into the top eight of the rankings.

"We have given Mustafizur an NOC for the entire IPL. He will only return to play for the national team during the New Zealand ODI series, which consists of three matches," said Nazmul.

"He will return for eight days to play the ODI series," he said adding that the competitive environment in IPL will help him perform well against New Zealand in the ODIs.

"One is that yes, he will be in a T20 environment and coming back to play ODIs, we can say there may be a transition period. At the same time, the level at which he will be playing and the competitive environment he will be in can also allow him to contribute more after returning," said Nazmul.

"So we considered all the pros and cons and felt that his presence is important for us. With our existing strength, having him makes the team stronger, and that is the consideration behind this decision," he said.

"We took a very risky decision when we lost the series against the UAE in the UAE, because at that time we released Mustafizur for the IPL. After his IPL performance, the massive change that came in Mustafizur, we benefited from that later. It's true that we took a risk and we lost the T20 series against the UAE. I think we need to take some risks. If we think about the future, about building a good future, we have to take these risks, and they will return positively for us at some point," he added.