Delhi Capitals announced Bangaldesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman as replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025). Notably, the Aussie had returned home after the season was suspended for a week due to border tensions between India and Pakistan and has denied travelling back to India.
Fraser-McGurk didn’t have a good season where he struggled with the bat, managing only 55 runs. His best score was 38, and he was out for single-digit scores in five of those matches. Due to poor form, he was subsequently dropped from the playing XI as well.
For Fizz, who played for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last season, will have a homecoming at DC, having played for the franchise back in IPL 2022 and 2023.
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Mustafizur’s signing was a calculated move by the DC management, as they will be without the services of talismanic Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc when the IPL 2025 restarts. Starc, via his manager, had already made his intentions known of not coming to India. Furthermore, he has been named in the squad for the World Test Championship (WTC Final 2025) where the Aussies lock horns with South Africa from June 11.
Thus, Fizz will be a like-for-like signing for DC and will be crucial for them as the race to playoffs intensify.
Speaking about DC’s qualification chances, they are currently placed fifth in the points table with six wins, four losses and a draw, taking their points tally to 13. DC will need to win at least two of their remaining three fixture, which include a rematch of the PBKS game after it was stopped midway, to guarantee a top-four finish.
It is understood that Mustafizur is yet to receive the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). He currently travelling with the national team for two T20Is against UAE, on May 17 and May 19. This creates a conflict with his immediate availability.
DC play Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 18, followed by games against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 21 and May 24 respectively. This means that Fizz might miss the GT game but is likely to be there for the final two games and beyond if DC manages to qualify for the playoffs.
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