Shakib to Skip IPL for National Duty

Bangladesh's T20I and Test captain, Shakib Al Hasan, has reportedly decided not to take part in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) due to his commitment to the national team.

Shakib was expected to participate in the IPL from the start. However, due to the Test match against Ireland, which starts on April 4 in Dhaka, Shakib had initially planned to join the IPL after the Test, reports UNB.

Nevertheless, this would not allow him to play the remainder of the IPL since he would have to travel to England for another series against Ireland.

In this situation, Shakib's IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders, requested that he skip this year's IPL to enable them to replace him with another player available for most of the event. Shakib accepted this offer.

Sources from Kolkata Knight Riders have confirmed the same.

Since Shakib had already signed a contract with the Kolkata franchise, it was not possible for them to replace him without his consent. Shakib could have refused Kolkata's offer, but he accepted it because he could not stay with the team for most of the IPL.

The Kolkata franchise has also requested the same from Litton Das, the Bangladesh batter who received his maiden IPL call-up. However, Litton has decided to keep his contract and participate in the IPL, regardless of the time he gets to play.

It was the first time when two Bangladesh players got called to the same IPL team. But due to the tight schedule of the Bangladesh team, they are not going to play in IPL together.