3 Bangladeshi cricketers who deserve IPL stints

Another season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the most popular T20 league in the world, is just around the corner. Hundreds of cricketers from various corners of the world are gearing up for the tournament. However, just a handful of them are from Bangladesh, even though the country has more cricketers who deserve a chance in the IPL.

Only six Bangladeshi players took part in IPL since its inception, and they are Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Ashraful, Abdur Razzak, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mustafizur Rahman. Tamim Iqbal is the only other player who was called up by Pune Warriors India but did not get a chance in a single game.

Today, Bangladesh cricket has the service of a few youngsters who have all the abilities to compete in the IPL. But unfortunately, they did not get an opportunity last year. The main thing that proves the worth of Bangladeshi players in the IPL is their aggressive mentality. The modern-day T20 cricket is all about aggression in many ways, and Bangladeshi cricketers fit the style of IPL for this reason.

We have picked out the names of three Bangladesh cricketers who deserve a chance in the IPL.

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#3 Liton Das

Liton Das is a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman from Bangladesh who deserves a chance in the IPL. He is one of the best cricketers Bangladesh has produced He drew the attention of the Asian cricket fraternity when he struck an eye-catching ton in the Asia Cup final against India.

Das has played 54 first-class matches and scored 4464 runs with an average of 51.31. He appeared in 88 List-A matches and struck 3231 runs averaging 39.40 at an exciting strike-rate of 91.65. Despite having all the capabilities, he is yet to show his prowess in the shorter format of the game.

The 24-year-old batsman played the last BPL for Comilla Victorians but failed to impress. Sylhet Sixers, another BPL franchise, roped him in for the next season. They considered him for his incredible show in the Asia Cup, and before that, he helped Bangladesh to clinch the T20I series against West Indies where he played an incredible 61 run knock in the series decider at Lauderhill.

#2 Soumya Sarkar

Soumya Sarkar has improved a lot as a batsman over the last few years

Despite having all the abilities to play in the IPL, Soumya Sarkar has not yet received a call-up. The left-handed opener is often considered as a future superstar of Bangladesh.

Sarkar came to the spotlight during Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh in 2015 when he struck his maiden ODI ton. His knock helped Bangladesh secure an ODI series win against Pakistan for the first time in their history. After that famous series, he helped Bangladesh beat South Africa in the following series.

Sarkar is known for his big hitting ability and has proved it on many occasions. The 25-year-old opener has played 38 T20Is for the Tigers and has scored 672 runs, averaging 17.68 at a strike-rate of 122.62.

And, he has the quality to bowl for a few overs as well. He has 11 wickets to his name in T20 cricket. Overall, he has played a total of 81 international matches. This vast experience is also a reason to consider him for the IPL.

#1 Mehidy Hasan Miraz

Since his debut in 2016, Mehidy Hasan has been an integral part of Bangladesh

It's quite strange that Mehidy Hasan has never received a call from an IPL side despite his world-class limited-overs performances. The right-handed all-rounder caught the limelight on his Test debut against England in 2016. He captained Bangladesh in the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2016, where Bangladesh reached the semis, which was their best performance in the age-level cricket.

He was the man of the tournament, scoring 242 runs in six innings and picking up 12 wickets as well. He brought his golden form to the international level after that. He helped Bangladesh to register their maiden Test win over England in the same year he played the U-19 World Cup.

The 21-year-old right-handed all-rounder is one of the best off-break bowlers currently. He bowls with new balls for the Tigers on a regular basis and thus has become an integral part of the Bangladeshi bowling line-up and a reliable batsman at the tail as well. He displayed his batting ability in the Asia Cup final when he opened the innings against India.