IPL 2021: Mustafizur Rahman’s pristine fielding effort denies Glenn Maxwell a near-certain six

Mustafizur Rahman isn’t among the most athletic fielders in the Bangladesh national team. The likes Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain are more agile and patrol the high-traffic areas. Mustafizur, on the other hand, lets ball slip and hence, stands at positions where the ball doesn’t go often, mostly at the third man and fine leg region. His prowess as a left-arm pacer remains unquestionable though.

The Satkhira-born is currently a part of the Rajasthan Royals in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. The southpaw has impressed with the ball, picking up wickets at crucial phases of matches. But on Wednesday, Mustafizur caught the limelight with his incredible piece of fielding. His effort came against the Royals Challengers Bangalore at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

In the ninth over of RCB’s run-chase, pacer Kartik Tyagi bowled a bouncer and Glenn Maxwell went for a full-blooded pull shot. The ball was destined to go over the ropes when Mustafizur showed his class. He anticipated the trajectory of the ball and timed his jump to perfection. He stuck out his left-hand and flicked the ball inside the field. He managed to save five crucial runs for the Royals.

Here’s the video of Mustafizur Rahman’s catch

Mustafizur made his debut for Bangladesh back in 2015 and impressed one and all with his ability to bowl wily slower deliveries. In 2016, he made his IPL debut for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and won the Emerging Player of the Season award. In that season, SRH also went on to win the trophy, beating RCB in the final. Mustafizur then moved to the Mumbai Indians for the 2018 edition of the T20 league.

In 2021, Mustafizur went to the Royals at his base price of INR 1 crore. Even as most of the Royals’ bowlers have strained to find their feet, the Bangladesh pacer has been amongst the wickets. After the conclusion of the IPL, he will play for his national team in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh didn’t make a direct qualification and need to play the Qualifiers in order to enter the Super 12s. He bowled excellently in the T20I series against Australia and New Zealand, and the Tigers are likely to depend heavily on him in the multi-nation tournament.