Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman getting sold in the Indian Premier League auction yesterday for a lower than expected remuneration has upset many. The left-arm paceman was sold to Sunrisers Hyderabad for around Tk 1 crore and 60 lakhs ($208,000 approximately) in the first day of the player auction of IPL 9. Bearing in mind Mustafizur’s exploits in limited-over cricket last year, it was highly expected that the Bangladesh pace bowler would fetch a higher price.
Mustafizur however, is not concerned. The Satkhira lad is rather glad to get the opportunity to be a part of the biggest Twenty20 league in the cricketing arena.
The southpaw had created a stir when he made his ODI debut against India, subsequently becoming only the second bowler after Zimbabwean Brian Vitori to take five-wicket hauls in the first two matches.
Since then, the 20-year old paceman has been a regular performer for Bangladesh and it was only a matter of time before the respective franchises of the major T20 leagues expressed their desire to recruit him. He was duly roped in by Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars but injury denied him from taking part in the tournament.
And yesterday, following a tug-of-war for his signature between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers, the latter prevailed in purchasing the cutter master. Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim were the other Bangladesh cricketers in the auction but the trio remained unsold.
“I am very happy. I was expecting to get picked to be honest as everyone was saying that I might get a call. Shakib [al Hasan] bhai has performed very well there and there were a few other cricketers from Bangladesh who participated in the tournament. So I am quite excited knowing that I will be able to play there,” Mustafizur informed the media.
The IPL auction has a chequered history of unrealistic bids for cricketers. The inclusion of South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris for a whopping amount of $1,036,000 dished out by Delhi Daredevils raised quite a few eyebrows.
In comparison, Mustafizur, the latest sensation of world cricket, could have earned a lot more. The man in question however, brushed aside any suggestions of regret regarding the remuneration amount.
“I am not at all concerned with the figure. I have never thought as to how much I could get, to be honest. Getting the opportunity to play in such a tournament is big enough in itself. I got the call and I am happy with that,” Mustafizur explained.
Mustafizur’s Sunrisers have also included a few other left-arm pacemen in the shape of Trent Boult, Ashish Nehra and Barinder Sran. Sunrisers’ batting department comprises Yuvraj Singh, David Warner, Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan. Former India batsman VVS Laxman is the mentor of the side while Tom Moody will perform his duty as the coach.
The ninth season of the IPL will begin on April 9 this year.