Mustafizur Rahman set to make BBL debut with Melbourne Renegades

Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman is all set to make his Big Bash League (BBL) debut after being signed by Melbourne Renegades ahead of the upcoming season. His signing comes after a shoulder injury ruled veteran left-arm seamer Jason Behrendorff out for the season.

Mustafizur will become the third Bangladeshi cricketer to play in the tournament after Shakib Al Hasan and Rishad Hossain. He brings extensive experience to Renegades, having played 331 T20 matches around the world and taken 423 wickets. 

However, he won’t be available for his team’s opening match against Perth Scorchers in Chennai due to his commitments in the ILT20 (International League T20), where he’s set to play for Dubai Capitals.

Mustafizur expressed his excitement ahead of his BBL debut and said that he’s looking forward to playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

"I am looking forward to playing in the BBL for the first time with the Melbourne Renegades. It will be special to play at the MCG as my home ground and I'm excited to join my team-mates and bring my experience to the squad,” Mustafizur said in a club statement.

Haris Rauf joins Adelaide Strikers

Renegades coach Luke Ronchi hailed Mustafizur as a proven match-winner in T20 cricket all over the world. 

"Mustafizur is a proven match-winner in T20 cricket all over the world. His ability to take wickets in both the powerplay and at the death is exactly what we wanted in our attack,” said Ronchi.

Earlier, Adelaide Strikers signed Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf for the upcoming season. Rauf joins Strikers after playing for five seasons for Melbourne Stars, where he scalped 20 wickets from 11 innings.