Bangladesh’s recent T20I series success over Australia bodes well for a host of these sub-continental stars landing gigs for the 2022 Indian Premier League.
Bangladesh has had a few players in the IPL, but by next year, with the tournament extended to 10 teams, they should have even more. This, based on their current T20 form in international cricket and is subject to their showings at the T20 World Cup later this year.
Mustafizur Rahman
Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan are the most obvious options for the IPL 2022. Rahman is currently with the Rajasthan Royals and Al Hasan the Kolkata Knight Riders. If they are not retained by their current franchises, the pair could be picked up by others. What if some of their countrymen and contemporaries, though?
Afif Hossain
Batsman Afif Hossain was second only to Al Hasan in the run-scoring charts against the Aussies recently. Hossain has experience in the Bangladesh Premier League and has represented the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League. The hard-hitting left-hander could be just the tonic at the top of the order for a new or existing IPL franchise.
It will be interesting to see how he fares at the T20 World Cup first, though. Any reputable sportsbook from the betting site listing in Bangladesh should feature him among their best batsman, player of the match, and player performance markets. Hossain may be key to Bangladesh overcoming long odds to win the maiden T20 World Cup title. Betway, for instance, has them priced at 40.0 for an overall tournament win, while bet365 has the Tigers priced at 50.0 in the same market.
Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup record
| Team | Win | Losses | Win Ratio |
| Bangladesh | 5 | 19 | 20.83% |
| Netherlands | 5 | 6 | 45.45% |
| Afghanistan | 5 | 9 | 35.71% |
| Ireland | 3 | 9 | 25.00% |
| Zimbabwe | 5 | 7 | 41.66% |
| Scotland | 1 | 5 | 16.66% |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 5 | 16.66% |
Nasum Ahmed
Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed is another example of a Bangladesh player perhaps bound for the IPL. He was the most prolific specialist slow bowler in the recent series win over the Australians. Ahmed was particularly telling with a four-wicket haul in the series opener and then a brace in the final fixture.
Tamim Iqbal
Bangladesh will wait on the full match fitness of opening batsman Tamim Iqbal. He has been in the IPL previously, with the Pune Warriors in 2012, but didn’t play a match. That’s not to say he can’t add value to a new club after perhaps performing well for his country at the T20 World Cup. Iqbal is vastly experienced, as stints in the Caribbean Premier League, Afghanistan Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Sri Lanka Premier League, and other domestic T20 tournaments attest.
Mahedi Hassan
It’s all-rounder Mahedi Hassan, though, one surmises could add the most with bat and ball to a new or old IPL franchise. Able to contribute with bat and ball early or late in either inning, Hassan is effectively in the same bracket as Al Hasan. He is ostensibly the face of Bangladesh’s next generation of international all-rounders. This will become even more prevalent if he has a solid T20 World Cup campaign.
How far Bangladesh have reached at each T20 World Cup
| Year | Finish |
| 2007 | Round 2 |
| 2009 | Round 1 |
| 2010 | Round 1 |
| 2012 | Round 1 |
| 2014 | Round 2 |
| 2016 | Round 2 |
| 2021 | Qualified |
| 2022 | Qualified |
Gone are the days of Bangladesh being presumed the so-called whipping boys of international cricket. They are a force to be reckoned with these days, especially in sub-continental conditions – and even more so in Dhaka, Chittagong and other regions of the country. Keep an eye on the Tigers as a whole and their individual stars.
