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Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has opted out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 owing to international engagements and personal reasons, reported ESPNCricinfo on Monday.
Shakib informed Kolkata Knight Riders of this development on Sunday. After the franchise receives approval from the IPL, it will start the process of looking for a replacement. He was bought by KKR for Rs 1.50 crore during the IPL 2023 auction last year. Shakib will be active throughout the next several hectic weeks for Bangladesh. While competing in a home T20I series against Ireland, he and keeper-batter Litton Das already missed Knight Riders' opening game of the season against Punjab Kings. The two will also be taking part in Bangladesh's one-off Test match against Ireland starting on Tuesday. After that, Bangladesh will embark on a tour of the UK, where they will take on Ireland in three one-day internationals in Chelmsford on May 9, 12, and 14. According to what is known, Shakib informed Knight Riders that he would be playing for Bangladesh at this time and that he also had "personal issues to attend to" that would prevent him from attending the IPL. The new situation also draws attention to Litton, who was also signed by the Knight Riders during the December 2023 player auction. Litton will participate in the same two series against Ireland as Shakib, but for the time being, he is still a member of the Knight Riders team. Whether Das will also refuse to participate in the IPL has not been confirmed or made clear. The IPL had alerted clubs about the availability of foreign players on December 22, the day before the auction. The IPL had been told at the time about the "restricted availability" of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) players. The Bangladeshi athletes chosen for the Ireland series will be "available from 8 April to 1 May," the BCB informed the IPL. The media was informed by Knight Riders on March 18 that Shakib would be travelling in India following the third Twenty20 International against Ireland on March 31, and Litton would follow after the lone Test match, which will take place from April 5-8. However, Shakib was later selected for Bangladesh's Test team, which limited his availability to the KKR. Knight Riders only have six foreign players in their squad without Shakib, including Litton. Due to a back ailment, the team's full-time captain Shreyas Iyer will be missing for at least the first half of the season, severely hurting the team's ability to perform. This season, Knight Riders have only played one game, which they lost to Punjab Kings in Mohali because to rain. Their following match is scheduled for Thursday against Royal Challengers Bangalore at home in Kolkata. In his IPL career, Shakib has played 71 matches, having scored 793 runs at an average of 19.83. He has two fifties to his name. He has also taken 63 wickets in his IPL career. He was also the part of KKR side which won IPL in 2012 and 2014. (ANI)
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