NZ series to limit Bangladesh players' IPL availability; Easwaran added to auction list

As IPL franchise representatives gather in Abu Dhabi, it has emerged that Bangladesh players may not be fully available for the 2026 season. Bangladesh are scheduled to play six white-ball games against New Zealand in April, which could limit their participation.

Seven Bangladesh players are on the auction register, but only Mustafizur Rahman is considered to have a realistic chance of being picked. If national commitments intervene, even Mustafizur may only feature as a replacement later, as he did last year.

The players listed are:

• Mustafizur Rahman (base price: ₹2 crore)
• Rishad Hossain (₹75 lakh)
• Taskin Ahmed (₹75 lakh)
• Tanzim Hasan Sakib (₹75 lakh)
• Nahid Rana (₹75 lakh)
• Rakibul Hasan (₹30 lakh)
• Md Shoriful Islam (₹75 lakh)

The BCCI will brief franchises on overseas player availability at a pre-auction meeting in Abu Dhabi. In a recent communique, the BCCI stated that for the auction, a player's expected unavailability will be ignored for salary cap purposes, but franchises will be provided with expected availability information to assist their strategy.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has stated it will issue No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for its players. "We will give them NOC for most of the IPL because we want them to play as much as possible. We will bring them back only for the minimum requirement for the series against New Zealand," said BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedin.

Easwaran back in auction?

Meanwhile, the BCCI has added several players to the auction register beyond the initial public list. While new names will be disclosed at the franchise briefing, it is understood that Abhimanyu Easwaran has been added.

Easwaran, the Bengal captain, was in the initial list with a base price of ₹30 lakh after a recommendation from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), but was missing from the final list of 350 players. His name has reportedly been forwarded again by a franchise, making him a late entrant.

Primarily a red-ball specialist, Easwaran (30) played notable innings in this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). In seven innings, he scored 266 runs at an average of 44.33 and a strike rate of 152, including a century (130) against Punjab and a half-century (58) against Services. He has never played in the IPL before.