Mustafizur Rahman’s participation in the remainder of the IPL 2025 season is uncertain despite the Bangladesh seamer being announced as a replacement signing for the Delhi Capitals on Wednesday evening.
The left-arm pacer was announced as a temporary addition with the Delhi franchise after Australian batter Jake-Fraser McGurk opted out of the remainder of the ongoing edition due to personal reasons.
Shortly after Rahman’s signing was announced, the pacer put out a social media post to confirm that he was travelling with the Bangladesh squad to Dubai where they will take on the United Arab Emirates in two T20Is on May 17 and May 19. According to reports, Rahman has yet to receive a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) who are watchful of the developments after the recent India-Pakistan conflict. The cross-border tensions had recently forced the suspenion of the IPL for a week, with majority of the overseas players flying back home.
With the rejigged schedule clashing with multiple international fixtures and several players considering their personal safety after the conflicts, player availability remains a concern for several franchises. This prompted the BCCI to initiate makeshift options of temporary player signings that won’t be up for retention.
Heading to UAE to play against them. Keep me in your prayers. pic.twitter.com/dI7DHTfj73
— Mustafizur Rahman (@Mustafiz90) May 14, 2025
According to reports, the BCB are also watchful about making a decision that won’t stir controversy with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the BCCI, with players such as Rishad Hossain and Nahid Rana also joining the squad in Dubai, leaving their Pakistan Super League (PSL) after the postponement.
“We are not saying that we won’t let Mustafizur play in the IPL for the Delhi Capitals, but at the same time, there is a thing called national commitment and he needs to fulfil that,” a Bangladesh Cricket Board official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“Along with that, if we had released him in that case, what would we have done with the two cricketers who took part in PSL, as they could have asked why we were not releasing them?” the director asked.
While the 29-year-old Rahman could join the Capitals post Monday, he will not be part of Saturday’s match against the Gujarat Titans in Delhi, limiting the scope of his signing. DC are also slated to play Mumbai Indians (May 21) and Punjab Kings (May 24) in their last two league matches.
