IPL snub a reminder of Bangladesh’s talent drought

A total of 1574 players had registered for the players auction of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). From there, 574 got shortlisted by the 10 teams to go under the hammer, of which 208 were from overseas, 12 of which were uncapped cricketers and only one of them was from New Zealand, a 22-year-old middle-order batter named Bevon Jacobs.

Before Monday, Jacobs was a mostly unknown entity in world cricket. Other than the Super Smash competition in New Zealand, the right-hander has not played in any of the top T20 franchise leagues around the globe.

In fact, he is still finding his feet in New Zealand's domestic scene, featuring in nine recognised T20s so far and has batted in only six of them. His record in those six innings is pretty good, as he has made 134 runs at a strike rate of 188.73 and an average of 33.50. But none of his innings put the cricket world on notice.

In an auction where Kiwi international stars like Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell went unsold, there was very little, if any, hope for someone like Jacobs.

But on the second day of the auction, Mumbai Indians, the joint most successful team in IPL with five titles, raised their paddle and signed him for the next three years for a price of Rupees 30 lakhs, much to everyone's surprise.

However shocking Jacob's inclusion may seem, it was undoubtedly a well-thought-out choice from Mumbai Indians, a franchise known for its extensive scouting in India and abroad.

Jacobs was not the only overseas international cricketer to get an IPL contract in the auction as Sri Lankan pacer Eshan Malinga was also roped in by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a hefty price of Rupees 1.2 crores.

Jacobs and Eshan's case shows that in IPL, international exposure is not the end all and be all. The player does not even have to be from a Test-playing country even as in 2022 Mumbai had picked Singapore batter Tim David, who is now a regular member of Australia's T20I team, and Delhi Capitals picked Nepalese cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane for the 2018 edition.

If a cricketer from anywhere shows potential, has the tools to excel in T20s and does not hold a Pakistan passport, the IPL scouts will find him.

Observing IPL's propensity to bring the best T20 talents from across the world, the question the cricket authorities in Bangladesh should ponder is why have no IPL franchise ever plucked a talent from over here.

This year, 12 Bangladeshi cricketers had registered for the IPL auction and of them only two – Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman – went under the hammer, but went unsold.

Rishad had turned heads with his performance in the ICC T20 World Cup, where he picked up 14 wickets, but his poor showing in Bangladesh's three-match T20I series against the hosts in India where he claimed three wickets in as many matches at an economy rate of over 14, probably went against him in the auction.

Mustafizur's omission, by comparison, was more surprising. The pacer has played seven seasons in the IPL, has featured for five different franchises and last year was part of the Chennai Super Kings, for whom he had taken 14 wickets in nine matches. Still, at a base price of Rupees 2 crores, he had no takers.

Perhaps the luck of the draw went against the pacer, as his name was called up on the second day when the purses of the franchises had dried up considerably. Also, the fact he was called back for national duty mid-season in the previous edition might have prompted teams to look past him.

Then there is Shakib, who had long been Bangladesh's flagbearer in the IPL. Last year, he went unsold in the mini-auction and this year the all-rounder's name didn't even go under the hammer, which is a clear indication that for IPL sides, Shakib is yesterday's news.

While the Bangladeshi cricketers failed to get contracts in the IPL, cricketers from Afghanistan were in high demand once again, continuing a trend from the last few seasons.

Unlike Afghanistan, Bangladesh have been around in the IPL scene from the very first season, with Abdur Razzak and Mohammad Ashraful featuring in the maiden edition of the tournament back in 2007, when Afghanistan was not even an associate member of the ICC.

And now, the 18th edition is set to begin without any Bangladeshis while seven Afghan players have received contracts. The absence of Bangladeshis in the next IPL is indicative of the dearth of T20 talent in this country and how Bangladesh have only regressed in the shortest format in the last 17 years.