Shakib granted permission to skip Sri Lanka Tests to play in IPL

Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has opted to sit out the tour of Sri Lanka in April to play in the Indian Premier League and the Bangladesh Cricket Board has granted him permission to skip the tour, BCB cricket operations chairman Akram Khan told local media.

Shakib, who was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders yesterday in the auction for 3.2 crore rupees, had also previously been granted permission to skip the tour of New Zealand to attend the birth of his third child.

"He [Shakib] sent us a letter to ask for permission to sit out the Sri Lanka tour as he wants to play in the IPL. We have given him permission. If someone doesn't want to play so it doesn't make sense to make them play forcefully," Akram said.

The tour of Sri Lanka was postponed in June last year due to the pandemic and then postponed further when the two boards could not manage to agree to quarantine protocols. The tour is set to take place in April when both teams have a short available window to play the postponed Tests of the ICC Test Championship. Sri Lanka are then due in Bangladesh in May to play three ODIs as per Future Tours Programme (FTP) and Shakib will be available for that series depending on his fitness. The itinerary for either the IPL or the upcoming matches against Sri Lanka away and at home are not yet finalised. 

The ace all-rounder, who returned to cricket this year after serving a one-year ban, had suffered an injury in the first Test against West Indies at Chattogram which, according to Shakib himself, would have rendered him unable to take the field for 'six to eight weeks'.

Mustafizur Rahman was yesterday picked up at his base price of one crore rupees by Rajasthan Royals in the auctions and Akram reiterated to local media that board will consider other players' case if they want to opt out of tours.