Mustafizur leaves IPL holding the top spot

Mustafizur Rahman stands as the sole representative of Bangladesh in the esteemed Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's most popular franchise cricket tournament, with Shakib Al Hasan absent this season. The cricket enthusiasts of Bangladesh had their focus on Mustafiz. Despite the pressure, the left-arm pacer, nicknamed the 'Cutter Master', rose to the occasion and delivered memorable moments while playing for the Chennai Super Kings.

Back in 2015, during Mustafizur Rahman's debut ODI, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the then-Indian captain, faced significant backlash for pushing Mustafiz. However, this time around, it was Dhoni who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Mustafiz. While Ruturaj Gaikwad holds the captaincy title for Chennai on paper, it's Dhoni who assumes the unofficial leadership role. Gaikwad seeks Dhoni's guidance on everything from setting up the field to making bowling changes. During crucial moments, the Chennai captain looks to Dhoni for advice. Under the influence of the astute cricketing mind of Dhoni, Mustafizur also prospered and reclaimed his old form.

Mustafizur went to play in the IPL with poor form. He was quite expensive during the three-match series against Sri Lanka on home soil. Across 3 matches, he bowled 12 overs, conceding 131 runs, and managing only 2 wickets at an economy rate of approximately 11 runs per over. However, Mustafizur's fortunes changed when he donned the jersey of Chennai. He made his debut for Chennai in the opening match of the season on March 22 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team featuring batsmen such as Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Faf du Plessis.

This Bangladeshi pacer wasted no time in showcasing his true talent against a team full of batting stars. Entering the attack in the fifth over of the IPL 2024 match, he made an immediate impact. The first wicket of the tournament fell in his over, with Bengaluru skipper du Plessis departing on the third ball, courtesy of Fizz. The 'Cutter Master' swiftly claimed the second wicket as well, dismissing Rajat Patidar with the last ball of the over. Not stopping there, he also managed to secure the vital wicket of Virat Kohli in this match. Even the Australian star all-rounder Cameron Green couldn't escape the Fizz's prowess. Mustafiz claimed the well-deserved 'Man of the Match' award, bagging 4 wickets for 29 runs in 4 overs.

This year's IPL has proven to be a nightmare for bowlers, as batsmen are piling on runs with fours and sixes. This season has witnessed the highest team innings totals in IPL history, with Sunrisers Hyderabad amassing scores of 287, 277, and 266 runs in 20-over matches. Kolkata Knight Riders have also posted a formidable total of 272 runs in a match. Additionally, Punjab Kings achieved the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket by chasing down 262 runs to win a match. In this run-flooded tournament, bowlers assumed the role of calming the batters. However, the majority of them struggled to fulfill this responsibility, with many renowned bowlers also featuring on that list.

Mitchell Starc, who joined the IPL for a hefty sum of around 25 crore rupees, only managed to secure 7 wickets in 8 matches. He conceded approximately 12 runs per over (11.78). Another Australian pacer, who was bought for Rs 20.5 crores in the auction, took 10 wickets in 9 matches. However, Mustafiz has done a fabulous job with the ball despite his modest price tag of only Rs 2 crore. He has emerged as the top wicket-taker in the tournament so far, having played 9 matches for Chennai and claimed a total of 14 wickets. India's star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel have also captured 14 wickets each, but they have played more matches than Mustafiz. The 'Fizz' missed a Chennai match as he had to attend visa-related work in Dhaka for the upcoming T20 World Cup. If he hadn't missed that match, he would have topped the wicket-taking charts alone.

Mustafizur's IPL journey concluded with the match between Chennai and Punjab on Wednesday. He is now set to join the Bangladesh team for the series against Zimbabwe at home. The Tigers are engaged in a five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe primarily as part of their preparation for the T20 World Cup. Many cricket analysts believe that Mustafiz's World Cup preparations could have been enhanced had he continued playing in the IPL. However, Jalal Yunus, the chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board's cricket operations, said, "Mustafiz has nothing to learn from IPL. He has completed his learning phase. Instead, IPL players can gain valuable insights from Mustafiz. Bangladesh will not derive any benefit from this."

The IPL commentators were not pleased with Jalal Yunus' statement. BCB director Akram Khan suggested that it would be more beneficial for Mustafizur Rahman to continue playing in the IPL rather than the Zimbabwe series. Mohammad Salahuddin, the coach of Shakib-Mustafiz, also strongly opposed Yunus' remarks. He shared Yunus' statement on Facebook with caption, "Best joke ever heard." BCB director Khaled Mahmud Sujan disagreed with the notion that Mustafiz's learning journey has concluded. However, he stressed the importance of Mustafiz participating in the Zimbabwe series, stating, "At the end of the day, I think the country comes first. If Mustafiz could have played in the IPL, I would have been pleased too. If there were no national team commitments, perhaps there would be no issue. Some may argue that New Zealand cricketers are playing in the IPL; however, we do not have ten Mustafizur Rahmans. This aspect must also be considered."

However, Mustafizur is not included in the squad for the first three matches against Zimbabwe. He is expected to feature in the rest of the matches. Following that, he will travel to the United States. Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh is scheduled to play a three-match T20 series against the United States. The T20 World Cup will start shortly after. If Mustafizur maintains this impressive bowling form during the World Cup, it will be a significant boost for Bangladesh.