Bangladesh and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seamer Mustafizur Rahman has headed home to sort his visa application for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, starting June 1. Due to this, he will miss CSK’s next game against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday (April 5). The left-arm seamer will return to India on either Sunday or Monday, depending on when he receives his passport. A Monday (April 8) return might see him missing Chennai’s next tie against Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Mustafizur arrived last night from the IPL for US visa purposes for the upcoming T20 World Cup. He will be giving his fingerprint at the US embassy tomorrow (April 4) and later will travel back to India to join Chennai,” BCB cricket operation chairman Jalal Yunus said, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
His absence will force CSK to change their winning combination, as the Chennai-based outfit might bring Maheesh Theekshana or England all-rounder Moeen Ali in his place for the away game against SRH. If Chennai decides to play an Indian pacer in his place, the left-arm quick Mukesh Choudhary is also an option.
Choudhary, who hasn’t played any competitive cricket since December 2022 due to multiple injuries, admitted going through a tough time but thanked the franchise for backing him during this period.
“It was a tough time for me, but I’m thankful to CSK for helping me through the recovery process. Now, I’m fully fit and ready to play whenever the team wants me,” Mukesh, who by the end of IPL 2022 had suffered a rib fracture and lower back injury, said ahead of IPL 2024.
Meanwhile, with Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur did wonders for CSK thus far in the tournament, leading the wicket-taking chart with seven wickets from three games at an average of 15.14 and an economy rate of 8.83. His exploits against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the season opener and three wickets in the next two games helped him bag the purple cap.
Mustafizur to leave CSK after April
As confirmed by Yunus, Rahman’s NOC for the IPL runs only till the end of April, as he will return home for national duty, to play against Zimbabwe in the five-match T20I series starting May 3.
“His NOC for the tournament runs till April 30 and we are expecting him to be back after that from IPL,” Yunus concluded.
As things stand in IPL 2024, Chennai is third on the points table with two wins from three matches.
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