Tigers veteran Mustafizur Rahman has secured a maiden BBL deal with Melbourne Renegades
Melbourne Renegades have found their replacement for injured left-armer Jason Behrendorff, signing Bangladesh international Mustafizur Rahman for KFC BBL|16.
The 31-year-old, who has played 271 internationals across all formats, has secured a maiden Big Bash contract.
Mustafizur is set to be just the third player from Bangladesh to feature in the BBL, joining currently contracted Hobart Hurricanes leg-spinner Rishad Hossain and decorated allrounder Shakib Al Hasan.
The signature is a timely one for the Renegades who recently announced Behrendorff, the fourth-highest wicket-taker in BBL history, would miss this summer’s tournament after having shoulder surgery.
“Mustafizur is a proven match-winner in T20 cricket all over the world,” Renegades head coach Luke Ronchi said in a statement.
“His ability to take wickets in both the Powerplay and at the death is exactly what we wanted in our attack.
“BBL audiences love a player who can change a game in a single over and Mustafizur can do just that. Every ball has the potential to produce something special, and our fans are going to love watching him bring the theatre across the summer.”
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Affectionately dubbed ‘The Fizz’ due to his ability to bowl accurate cutters and slower deliveries, Australia’s ODI squad were exposed to the best of Mustafizur in June.
He took figures of 3-27 in Mirpur to give Bangladesh an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The new Renegades recruit first took on Australia during their two-Test home series in 2017, but the only cricket Mustafizur has played Down Under came in 2022 when he featured in five T20 World Cup group games.
A veteran of the T20 circuit, Mustafizur’s taken 423 wickets at a strike rate of 16.9 across 331 games in the format.
He’s collected 121 wickets throughout nine Bangladesh Premier League campaigns and has also featured in eight editions of the Indian Premier League, claiming a title in his debut season with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
“I am looking forward to playing in the BBL for the first time with the Melbourne Renegades,” Mustafizur said in a statement.
“It will be special to play at the MCG as my home ground and I’m excited to join my teammates and bring my experience to the squad.”
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Mustafizur will miss the Renegades’ historic season opener in Chennai against Perth Scorchers due to IPLT20 commitments with Dubai Capitals, but the speedster is likely to be available for the rest of the tournament.
The Renegades have now filled 16 of a possible 18 list spots allocated on a BBL roster, with Mustafizur joining England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow and New Zealand spinner Michael Bracewell as the side’s international players for the upcoming season.
Melbourne Renegades’ BBL|16 squad (so far)
Michael Archer, Jonny Bairstow (England), Jason Behrendorff, Michael Bracewell (New Zealand), Josh Brown, Harry Dixon, Brendan Doggett, Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Caleb Jewell, Ben Manenti, Ollie Peake, Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Tom Rogers, Callum Stow, Will Sutherland