Chennai Super Kings will begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) title defence against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in what could be MS Dhoni's final year in the lucrative Twenty20 competition after he stepped down as captain on Thursday.

In the series, the pacers excelled in the first two phases of the innings – the first and second Powerplays - and this success shielded them from getting tested in the most happening phase of play, aka the death overs.

This will be Mustafizur's seventh IPL season.

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was stretchered off the field during the third ODI against Sri Lanka after severe cramps under the sweltering sun in Chattogram.

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha was focused on helping an out-of-form Mustafizur Rahman come back to life in training at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram yesterday ahead of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting on Wednesday. The left-arm pacer had an abysmal T20I series against the Lankans as he conceded 42, 42, and 47 runs in the three matches respectively while bagging just two wickets at an economy rate of 10.91 which did little to justify his pedigree as a white-ball specialist.  Photos: BCB

Mustafizur has claimed 11 wickets in nine matches for Comilla so far in this season

Bangladesh paceman Mustafizur Rahman, who was hospitalised after being hit on the head by a ball during a practice session for his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) team Comilla Victorians on Sunday in Chattogram, has been moved to his team hotel in Dhaka and is being kept under observation, according to the franchise.

Comilla Victorians and Bangladesh national team pacer Mustafizur Rahman did not suffer any internal damage to his head, confirmed the franchise through a statement.

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has been struck on the head during a net session of Comilla Victorians at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram today.

After Fizz bowled a length delivery that zipped away from the stumps, Mash motioned with a swivel of his hips that it would be flicked for six.

Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam's latest exploits with the ball in the three-match T20I series in New Zealand have seen him surge 32 places in the bowling rankings. 

Mustafizur was picked up by the MS Dhoni-led side in the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai for his base price of INR 2 crore

National assignments came in the way for Taskin and Shoriful.

Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Das -- the two Bangladeshi players who appeared for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the last Indian Premier League, did not get into the draft for the upcoming IPL season.

Mustafizur was roped in by Delhi for his base price of INR two crores in the 2022  IPL auction.

There had been a lot of hype surrounding Bangladesh's pace-bowling unit ahead of the ICC World Cup, having made significant strides in the last few years.

From a team that only ever tried to ‘spin to win’, Bangladesh have now evolved into a pace-centric attack heading into the ICC World Cup in India.

When last the ODI World Cup was played in South Asia, in 2011, five of the top seven wicket-takers in that tournament were spin bowlers. In the recent Asia Cup, however, in which more matches were played in Colombo (a notoriously spin-friendly venue) than any other venue, five of the top seven wicket-takers were seam bowlers.

Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman might not be as mysterious as he was at the beginning of his career but the left-arm paceman managed to achieve a feat he can be happy about against India in Colombo yesterday.

Bangladesh are gearing up for the second ODI against Ireland in Chelmsford today after the first ODI was abandoned due to inclement weather and while rain remains a concern, the conditions allow the new ball to move quite a bit and provide extra bounce on the surface. Even if it proves difficult for the top-order, pacer Shoriful Islam was enjoying the experience and the challenge.