Chennai Super Kings' star pacer Mustafizur Rahman has flown back to Bangladesh and is doubtful for CSK's next IPL 2024 game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Friday.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the left-arm seamer has returned to Bangladesh, along with the rest of the touring group, to obtain his visa for the forthcoming T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by the West Indies and the United States.
The T20 World Cup will start on June 1, less than a week after the IPL final on May 26 in Chennai.
Mustafizur's whippy cutters and increased pace made a significant impact on CSK's attack, as he claimed a record seven wickets in three games at an average of 15.14 and an economy rate of 8.83.
Four of his seven wickets came in a span of ten deliveries on his CSK debut against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the season opener on March 22 at Chepauk. He is the only Bangladeshi player who has received a bid in the IPL 2024 auction.
In the absence of Mustafizur, CSK may bring back Sri Lanka's mystery spinner, Maheesh Theekshana, against the Sunrisers. Moeen Ali, an off-spin bowling all-rounder from England, is CSK's other overseas option. This might lead to CSK breaking up a good partnership between Mustafizur and Matheesha Pathirana, who also plays in T20 cricket.
"Having options all the way through your line-up is very important. One of the things is having a squad that gives you balance. You can make those sort of adjustments. If you can't make those adjustments, then you can't utilise the assets that you've got," CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"But having the batting strength we have, having the all-rounders in the top order, that makes a big difference to our balance and what we can achieve. And the fact that they're so different...having a left-armer is important, some of the balls are kind of slow, but what he [Mustafizur] does, and then the uniqueness of Matheesha as well, that's a massive asset.
"No one likes to face him - our batsmen don't like to face him - so I'm sure the opposition doesn't either," Simons added.
If CSK wants to replace Mustafizur with a local player, a fit-again Mukesh Choudhary might have a chance. The Maharashtra left-arm seamer, however, has not played a competitive game since December 2022 due to a number of ailments. He sustained a rib fracture and a lower-back injury towards the end of the IPL 2022 season.
CSK is presently third in the points standings, having won two of their last three games, all of which came at home in Chepauk.
