Fellow fast bowler Taskin Ahmed believes the price could have been even higher, saying it would not have been surprising if Mustafizur had gone for INR 18 crore.
Mustafizur has been in consistent form in T20 cricket for Bangladesh in recent times, making his IPL return highly anticipated.
Although there were doubts over whether he would receive a full-season NOC, three IPL franchises showed strong interest in the left-armer, whose base price was INR 2 crore in the second set of pacers.
Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings initially entered the bidding, but Delhi later dropped out. Kolkata Knight Riders then joined the race and eventually outbid Chennai to secure Mustafizur for INR 9.2 crore.
This will be Mustafizur’s sixth IPL franchise, having previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Taskin praised Mustafizur’s rise, saying: “You can see it yourself. Fizz is a proven performer in world cricket. Even if he had gone for 18 crore instead of 9, it wouldn’t have been surprising. He deserves it. He has played many matches in the IPL and performed well. He was outstanding in the ILT20. This doesn’t surprise me at all. I believe Fizz deserves even more.”
Taskin also expressed hope that Mustafizur’s success would increase demand for other Bangladeshi players. “If this continues, the value of all our players will increase, In Sha Allah.”
In recent years, several Bangladesh players have featured across leagues such as the LPL, PSL, ILT20 and Big Bash. Taskin believes exposure to high-quality leagues accelerates development.
“The improvement is clearly visible. Playing abroad comes with pressure as a foreign player. If you don’t perform in one or two matches, you can be dropped. That pressure helps you grow. I really feel that if we get to play in leagues like these regularly, our overall improvement will be much greater.”
