Fizz bags record IPL payday

Bangladesh's celebrated pacer Mustafizur Rahman made headlines again after Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for a whopping INR 9.2 crore (TK 12.36 crore) -- the highest for any Bangladeshi in IPL history -- during the 19th edition mini-auction held in Abu Dhabi, UAE yesterday.

The 30-year-old, who had a base price of INR two crore, took the mini-auction by storm. Three franchises -- Kolkata, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings -- showed interest when his name appeared.

The initial bid war was between Chennai and Delhi, but Kolkata later joined Chennai after Delhi reached their remaining budget of INR 5.4 crore. After a tense bargain, Mustafizur secured his sixth IPL franchise.

The left-arm pacer, also known as The Fizz, has previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and the Chennai and Delhi franchises between 2016 and 2025.

With this price, Mustafizur also broke his own record. Last year, he was picked by Delhi for INR six crore as a replacement player.

He began his IPL journey in 2016 with Hyderabad, bought for INR 1.4 crore. He made an immediate impact, taking 17 wickets in 16 matches and playing a crucial role in Hyderabad's maiden IPL title. In the same year, he was adjudged the Emerging Player of the Tournament and remains the only foreign player to achieve this feat.

Mustafizur played only one match for Hyderabad the following season. In 2018, Mumbai Indians picked him for INR 2.20 crore. After taking seven wickets in seven matches, he was released and went unpicked in the 2020 auction.

He made a comeback in 2021 when Rajasthan bought him for INR one crore, claiming 14 wickets in 14 matches. He then represented Delhi for two seasons at INR two crore before moving to Chennai, where he took 14 wickets in nine matches under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Last year, he joined Delhi as a replacement player in the final phase of the IPL and took four wickets in three matches.

So far, Mustafizur has played 60 IPL matches and taken 65 wickets. In T20Is, he has played 126 matches for Bangladesh, picking up 158 wickets.

Alongside Mustafizur, Kolkata also acquired Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana (INR 18 crore) and Australian all-rounder Cameron Green (INR 25.20 crore) from the mini-auction.

Another Bangladeshi pacer, Taskin Ahmed, with a base price of INR 75 lakh, went unsold. Five more Bangladeshi players -- leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam, left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan, and right-arm pacers Nahid Rana and Tanzim Hasan Sakib -- were listed but received no bids.