After IPL exit, Mustafizur Rahman set to play PSL with 77% salary cut

After being removed from IPL 2026, Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will now be seen playing in the Pakistan Super League. He has been bought by Lahore Qalandars. Rahman will receive approximately 77% less salary in the PSL compared to the IPL.

Mustafizur Rahman, Lahore Qalandars, PSL: Bangladesh's star fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will now be seen playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after withdrawing from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The franchise Lahore Qalandars has included him in their team under a direct contract before the auction.

Mustafizur Joins Lahore Qalandars Through Direct Signing

The PSL franchise announced this direct signing on Thursday. Lahore Qalandars wrote on their official X account, "Our Bangladeshi brother Mustafizur, who was picked in 2016 and 2018, is now our direct signing and has finally returned to the family. Once a Qalandar, always a Qalandar."

Will Receive 77% Less Amount Compared to IPL

However, in this deal, Mustafizur will receive approximately 77% less amount compared to his IPL contract. The pacer, known for his excellent bowling in death overs, was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹9.20 crore in the IPL mini-auction held in December. He was also the only Bangladeshi player to secure a contract for the IPL 2026 season.

Mustafizur to Get This Much Crore in PSL

With Lahore Qalandars, he will receive Pakistani Rupees 6.44 crore, which amounts to approximately ₹2.08 crore in Indian currency. This means he will have to face a hefty salary cut of about 77.4 per cent. Amidst strained relations between India and Bangladesh, the BCCI instructed KKR on January 3 to release Mustafizur from the team. No official reason was given for this decision.

In response, Bangladesh banned the IPL broadcast in the country, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cited security reasons and requested the ICC to shift its T20 World Cup matches out of India. The ICC repeatedly rejected this appeal and even conducted an independent investigation, which denied any threat at all the venues. Despite this, the BCB remained firm on its stance. Eventually, the ICC excluded Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup and included Scotland in the tournament in its place.

This will be the second time Mustafizur will be seen playing in the PSL. He was also part of Lahore Qalandars in the 2017-18 season. During that time, he took four wickets in five matches with an economy rate of just 6.43.