Mustafizur, Shakib back home

Bangladesh ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman returned home yesterday after the Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday.

The two players boarded a flight from Ahmedabad at 1:00pm and landed in Dhaka at 4:00pm.

"Thank you @Sah75officia, happy to know you've landed home safely in Dhaka with Bangladesh teammate @Mustafiz90 from Ahmedabad," tweeted Shakib's franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

"Alhamdulillah, we are safely back in Bangladesh without any trouble. I would like to thank @rajasthanroyals and @KKRiders franchises for making it happen. I would also like to thank our health ministry for it's contribution," wrote Mustafizur on facebook.

The chartered flight that Rajasthan Royals' Mustafizur and Kolkata's Shakib boarded were arranged by the BCCI with their respective franchises sharing the cost of the flight.

Even though the Directorate General of Health Services had earlier confirmed that both players will have to complete mandatory 14-day institutional quarantine, it is possible that the decision on the number of days in institutional quarantine for the two players will be made within two days.

"They just returned. Now let's see what happens with their quarantine time," said a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official.

Shakib and Mustafizur will be staying at different city hotels.

The Bangladesh team management is looking forward to getting back their two key players in time ahead of their crucial ODI series against Sri Lanka later this month.

The Tigers will play Sri Lanka in the upcoming three-match ODI series from May 23, and even if the star duo has to quarantine for 14 days, they will be able to take the field in time before the first ODI. The question, however, remains whether it will be possible for them to practice together for a few days ahead of the series.