Will Mustafizur Rahman join Delhi Capitals for rest of IPL 2025? Bangladesh pacer takes flight to Dubai instead of India

Delhi Capitals on Wednesday named Mustafizur Rahman for the rest of Indian Premier League (IPL) as a replacement for Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk but the Bangladesh pacer's participation is still uncertain as he is yet to get an No-Objection Certificate from his board.

His doubtful participation became more relevant when Rahman was pictured boarding the flight to Dubai for Bangladesh's two-match T20I series against UAE on May 17 and 19. The IPL 2025 came to a one-week halt due to the rising India-Pakistan tensions across border.

With the immediate ceasefire announced by both the countries, the BCCI decided to resume IPL 2025 with a revised schedule for the remaining 17 matches. According to the revised schedule, Delhi Capitals play Gujarat Titans (May 18), Mumbai Indians (May 21) and Punjab Kings (May 24).

What led BCB to not give NOC to Mustafizur yet?

Based on a Cricbuzz report, giving Mustafizur a NOC to play IPL would put the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in a fix with regards to two other players who are also playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Rishad Hossain and Nahid Rana were playing in the PSL before the tournament was suspended for a few days due to India-Pakistan tensions. PSL is resuming on May 17. Notably, Rishad and Nahid are also a part of the Bangladesh team for UAE T20Is.

If Mustafizur gets the NOC, the BCB would be forced to do the same with Rishad and Nahid too. "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 BCB official was quoted as saying to the website.

What led BCB to not give NOC to Mustafizur yet?

Based on a Cricbuzz report, giving Mustafizur a NOC to play IPL would put the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in a fix with regards to two other players who are also playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Rishad Hossain and Nahid Rana were playing in the PSL before the tournament was suspended for a few days due to India-Pakistan tensions. PSL is resuming on May 17. Notably, Rishad and Nahid are also a part of the Bangladesh team for UAE T20Is.

If Mustafizur gets the NOC, the BCB would be forced to do the same with Rishad and Nahid too. "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 BCB official was quoted as saying to the website.

“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? We don't want to be in a position that allows any Board to point a finger at us,” he said.

Delhi Capitals are placed fifth in the IPL 2025 points table with 13 points. They need to win all their final games to be in contention for a place in the playoffs which start on May 29.

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