There aren’t many matches left in the Indian Premier League. So why is there a reason—and an opportunity—to spend nearly three times Mustafizur’s base price? Everyone is surprised: why is Delhi Capitals paying INR 6 crore for Mustafizur Rahman?
There is, however, a logical explanation behind this astonishment. First, as mentioned, there aren’t many matches left in the IPL. Second, why spend nearly three times his base price—and is it even allowed?
Mustafizur has been called up by the Delhi team as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk. According to the IPL, Delhi Capitals spent INR 6 crore to bring Mustafizur into the squad. Officially, there is no issue with this inclusion under IPL regulations.
Because in light of changing circumstances, some stability has been brought to player additions in the IPL. However, the IPL Governing Council has not significantly altered the core rules. The rule allowing player replacements during the tournament has been in place for a while, but it used to be limited to within the first 12 league matches. After that, no replacements were allowed. This season, though, player replacements are allowed until just before the final.
On the financial front, nothing outside the rules occurred either. When replacing a player, the new player’s salary cannot exceed that of the original player—it can be lower, but not higher. In this case, the INR 6 crore set for Mustafizur is actually INR 3 crore less than Fraser’s salary.
Still, why spend three times Mustafizur’s base price? In reality, he is unlikely to get more than two matches—unless Delhi qualifies for the playoffs. Spending that much money for so few matches raises some eyebrows.
The reason lies in Delhi’s needs. It is confirmed that one of Delhi Capitals’ key players, Mitchell Starc, will not return to India for the second phase of the IPL. Hence, Delhi urgently needs a left-arm pacer. But the franchise doesn’t want a raw, inexperienced player. That’s why they’ve pursued the experienced Mustafizur. His prior experience playing for Delhi also played a role in this decision.
Additionally, when signing a player mid-season, teams must select from those already registered in the IPL. That means choosing from players who went unsold in the auction. Among them, there are hardly any pacers with more experience than Mustafizur. Also, the list of available left-arm pacers is quite limited. Moreover, most of the foreign players on that list have uncertain availability.
Considering the situation, Delhi Capitals spent three times the base price on Mustafizur. Surely, interest from other teams might have also indirectly driven up his fee.
