IPL 2021: Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim makes late entry on the auction list

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman, has entered the auction for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at a base price of INR 1 crore. The veteran has been a part of the auction since the inaugural edition and has gone unsold as many as 13 times. Despite his impressive numbers for the Tigers, he hasn’t found any buyer for the time being.

The auction is all set to take place on Thursday, February 18 in Chennai and it remains to be seen if he finally gets an IPL team or not. Earlier, NIBCO, the company, which handles the 33-year-old’s account, stated that Mushfiqur hadn’t registered for the auction and decided to opt out.

“We have not made any submission for Mushfiqur Rahim for IPL this time,” an official from the NIBCO was quoted as saying to New Age earlier.

Mushfiqur Rahim’s career at a glance

Mushfiqur has been an integral part of the Tigers’ T20 team after making his debut way back in 2006. In 86 T20Is, the right-hander has scored 1,282 runs at an average and strike-rate of 20.03 and 120.03 respectively. He also has five half-centuries to show for his efforts. In the T20 format, he has 4,288 runs in 202 matches at an average and strike-rate of 28.97 and 127.96 respectively

He also has to 25 half-centuries in the shortest format. However, even as Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdul Razzak, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mustafizur Rahman from Bangladesh have taken part in the IPL, Rahim’s luck hasn’t been all that great, going unsold. The Bogra-born is currently the leading run-scorer in the history of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

In 85 matches, he has 2274 runs with 15 half-centuries. He also has a top-score of an unbeaten 98. Lately, he played for the Beximco Dhaka in the inaugural Bangabandhu T20 Cup. Though his team couldn’t make the final, Mushfiqur showed his class with the bat in hand.

In 10 games, he managed 297 runs at an average of 35.87. He was also involved in a controversy when he almost hit his own teammate, Nasum Ahmed, after some confusion between the duo. Mushfiqur later issued an apology for the same.