LAHORE: Defending champions Lahore Qalandars on Thursday announced that they have signed Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman for this year’s edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) starting on March 26.
“Lahore Qalandars are proud to announce the signing of Mustafizur Rahman as a direct signing for PSL11,” read an announcement made by the Qalandars.
“The Bangladesh star, originally picked by the Qalandars in 2016 and 2018, is now set to don the Qalandars’ colours once more. The signing was agreed at Rs6.44 crore,” the announcement added.
“Once a Qalandar, always a Qalandar. Mustafizur is not just a player; he’s a brother, a key part of our family who never left,” Qalandars’ owner said Sameen Rana said.
“We are thrilled to welcome him back to our dressing room. His talent, experience, and dedication will be invaluable as we aim to defend our title and make a statement.”
Experienced cricketer Mustafizur, 30, became the centre of a brewing controversy last month when the right-arm pacer was dropped, on the instructions of the India cricket board, by Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The axing led to Bangladesh’s demand to shift their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, the joint hosts of the World Cup, citing security concerns for Bangladesh cricketers in India. Subsequently, Bangladesh were expelled from the global event by the International Cricket Council (ICC) amid heightened political tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi. Bangladesh were replaced with Scotland.
The episode became a composite issue when Pakistan’s government, showing solidarity with Bangladesh, decided that the Pakistan team will not take field against India in their group stage match of the World Cup scheduled for Feb 15 in Colombo.
Earlier, Qalandars retained captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, Sikandar Raza and Mohammad Naeem for the PSL 11.
Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2026
