Can Mustafizur bring the fizz back in CSK colours?

Chennai Super Kings will begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) title defence against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in what could be MS Dhoni’s final year in the lucrative Twenty20 competition after he stepped down as captain on Thursday.

India’s World Cup-winning skipper Dhoni, who had knee surgery last year, handed over the captaincy to batter Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of Friday’s opener.

While India and Chennai fans might find it a bit odd to see Dhoni without the captain’s armband, Bangladesh fans will be excited at the prospect of seeing the Tigers’ ace paceman Mustafizur Rahman in new colours in IPL.

This will be the seventh season in the IPL for Mustafizur, who played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and the Delhi Capitals in the previous season. He was roped in by CSK for his base price of Rs 2 crore in the auction last year.

Mustafizur suffered cramps and was unable to bowl his full quota of 10 overs in Bangladesh’s final ODI against Sri Lanka in Chattogram last Monday. Thankfully, it was not anything serious as the pacer joined his CSK side on March 20, as per schedule, and also practised at the nets ahead of the opener.

With CSK’s only other overseas pacer, Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana, out with a hamstring injury for at least the first few matches, Mustafizur could as well make his debut for Chennai today.

Mustafizur had a torrid time in the shortest format recently as he was dropped from the first two Sri Lanka ODIs after underperforming in the prior three-match T20I series in Sylhet. He had conceded runs north of 10 an over in each of the matches and could scalp just a solitary wicket in the series.

However, Mustafizur bowled well when he was recalled to the eleven in the final ODI against Sri Lanka. He scalped two crucial wickets and was tight with his line and length, returning economical figures of two for 39 in nine overs that also included a maiden.

Mustafizur played only twice for Delhi Capitals in 2023, a stark contrast considering his debut season in 2016 with Sunrisers Hyderabad and his 2021 season with Rajasthan Royals.

Mustafizur helped Sunrisers win their only title in 2016 and became the first overseas player to have won the ‘Emerging Player of Tournament’ award following a stellar campaign in which he scalped 17 wickets in 16 games.

He was also a constant feature for Rajasthan in the 2021 season, playing 14 matches and taking as many wickets in that season for the side.

IPL remains a platform where Mustafizur has already shown his calibre. But the fluctuating nature of his form in recent times means that the 28-year-old will have to capitalise on every opportunity that comes his way.

If given a nod, Mustafizur will hope to help his new IPL outfit to a positive start all the while cementing his place in the squad before Pathirana returns from injury as that would go a long way in determining what sort of role the pacer will play in this season’s IPL and how much of him could be seen in the lucrative T20 league.