BCB expresses uncertainty over Bangladesh players' availability for full IPL 2024 season

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has flagged uncertainty over the availability of its players for the full season of IPL 2024. With the lucrative tournament clashing with their international schedule, the board is unsure whether the players will feature in all the matches.

The IPL is scheduled to start from March 23rd, while Bangladesh are expected to host Sri Lanka, who are likely to arrive in the first week of March for two Tests, three ODIs, and as many T20Is. The Sri Lankans were initially supposed to arrive in the last week of February, but the home side also had to accommodate the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

BCB Cricket Operations Chairman Jalal Yunus underlined that international commitments during IPL, and the T20 World Cup that follows immediately, mean they must manage their players carefully. Yunus told Cricbuzz:

"If the IPL conflicts with our national team in that case their (cricketers picked in the IPL players auction) chances are very slim to play the full tournament. Furthermore, there is T20 WC in June and we want to be careful in handling them as we need to think about their injury management and for that reason we want to take steps by taking everything into consideration."

The Tigers are also set to host Zimbabwe for two Tests and five T20Is in April and May.

3 Bangladesh players to go under the hammer in IPL 2024 auction

Mustafizur Rahman. (Credits: ICC Twitter)

Meanwhile, only three players from Bangladesh have registered for the auction ahead of the upcoming IPL season. Left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman has his base price set at INR 2 crore, while Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam are bracketed at INR 75 lakh and 50 lakh, respectively.

Taskin was notably close to playing in IPL 2022 for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as a replacement recruit for the injured Mark Wood. However, the BCB denied him an NOC. Among the three players mentioned, only Mustafizur has played in the IPL before, having featured for SunRisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.

The auction will take place on December 19th in Dubai.