Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan following an injury during his brief stint at the later stages of IPL 2025.
Mustafizur was named as a replacement player for Delhi Capitals after the IPL resumed following the India-Pakistan ceasefire. He was signed on a three-match deal, playing DC’s last three league matches between May 18 to May 24.
Mustafizur Rahman suffers fracture on hand during IPL
As luck would have it, in his last match against the Punjab Kings on May 24, Mustafizur hurt his finger while attempting a return catch off Josh Inglis.
Bangladesh physio Delowar Hossain revealed to ESPNcricinfo that the left-arm seamer could be sidelined for up to three weeks, ruling him out of the entire T20I series against Pakistan.
"Mustafizur suffered a clip fracture on his left thumb while playing his last match of the Indian Premier League yesterday. This injury requires a period of rest and rehabilitation. As per our current assessment, he will be unavailable for selection for the next two to three weeks," Hossain told the publication.
Khaled Ahmed replaces Mustafizur
Khaled Ahmed has been called in as Mustafizur’s replacement. The 32-year-old right-arm seamer, who is yet to play a T20I, has represented Bangladesh in 16 Tests and two ODIs.
Khaled enjoyed a stellar 2024-25 domestic season, claiming 77 wickets at 21.74 across formats. His T20 performances were particularly impressive, taking 30 wickets at 20.46 with an economy of 8.31. This included a standout BPL campaign where he finished as joint-second-highest wicket-taker (20 scalps at 21.55, economy 8.47).
Mustafizur is not the only unavailable player. Nahid Rana, who played in PSL, had withdrawn citing personal reasons, while Soumya Sarkar is forced out due to a back injury, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz replacing him.
The three-match series will be played on May 28, 30 and June 1. The schedule was revised after the postponement of the PSL amid the India-Pakistan conflict. Faislabad, which was supposed the see the return of international cricket after 17 years, was one of the chosen venues as per the original schedule. However, all the matches will now be held in Lahore.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
