IPL 2024: CSK Recieve Boost After Bangladesh Cricket Board Grant Mustafizur Rahman Extended Stay

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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Mustafizur Rahman was expected to leave the IPL 2024 early due to national commitments as Bangladesh host Zimbabwe in a 5-match T20I series followed by the tour to USA next month in prepartations for the T20 World Cup 2024.

But the defending champions CSK received a slight boost after their leading wicket-taker was granted an extension to his stay by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday (April 15).

The BCB has extended Mustafizur's No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for CSK by one day on the request of the franchise, meaning the pacer will also be available for the team's May 1 match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) instead of returning to Bangladesh on April 30.

"We had given Mustafizur a leave to play in the IPL till April 30, but since Chennai has a match on May 1, we have extended his leave by a day upon receiving a request from Chennai and the BCCI," Shahriar Nafees, BCB's deputy manager of cricket operations was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

With this extension to the NOC, Mustafizur is now eligible for CSK's back-to-back games against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 19 and 23, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 28, and the PBKS on May 1.

Mustafizur will travel back to his hometown after CSK's meeting with PBKS for Bangladesh's home T20I series against Zimbabwe from May 3 to 12, followed by a T20I series against the United States of America in Texas, starting on May 21.

Mustafizur has taken ten wickets at 18.30 in five matches, including his maiden four-wicket haul in the ongoing 17th edition of the IPL so far. This is his greatest performance in the IPL since the 2021 season, when he played for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

With Mustafizur unlikely to be available post May 1st, CSK may look at signing a replace for the second half of the season as Matheesha Pathirana is the only other overseas pace bowling option in the current squad.

The left-arm seamer had travelled to Dhaka last week to complete US visa formalities for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, in which Bangladesh have been drawn in Group D alongside South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Nepal.