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Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das recently talked about his brief stint in the IPL in 2023.
Although he has been a consistent fixture in the Bangladesh team since his debut in 2015, he has not been a consistent presence in T20 leagues around the world. Apart from the Bangladesh Premier League, Das’s appearances in franchise cricket have been very limited.
Liton Das’s IPL career
Das’s only stint in the IPL came in 2023 when Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for his base price of Rs 50 lakh.
That year, he played just one match against Delhi Capitals, before withdrawing midway through the tournament due to personal reasons.
Das scored just 4 runs from 4 balls in the match and failed to make an impact as a wicketkeeper and missed two stumpings as KKR failed to defend their low score of 127.
“I felt they didn’t need me” – Liton Das on his experience in IPL
Speaking on Bangladesh Cricket’s Four Fours podcast, Liton reminisced about his brief IPL experience, but he didn’t have too many good things to say.
“I felt like KKR didn’t really need me that much,” Liton said. “The team also didn’t support me the way I expected.”
Das further said that his inclusion in the final eleven was also very disorganized. He said that KKR took a hasty decision to include him and did not inform him till the last eleven o’clock.
“Normally, a player is informed before a match that they will play the next day, or something along those lines. I sat out for two matches, and no such discussion was had with me,” Liton said.
“Suddenly, at 11 pm, I got a message, ‘You will play.’ I tried with whatever energy I had. In cricket, sometimes things go your way and sometimes not. That day was not mine,” he added.
Bangladeshi players in IPL
The number of Bangladeshi players in IPL has always been less. Star fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza played only one match in 2009. Batsman Tamim Iqbal and keeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim have also never taken the field in IPL colours.
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was a constant presence in KKR in the 2010s and also played with Sunrisers Hyderabad till 2019. Left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has also been in and out of various IPL teams since making his debut in 2016.
Just ahead of IPL 2026, Rahman was signed by KKR after playing for SRH, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. But due to deteriorating relations between India and Bangladesh and pressure from outside groups, BCCI ordered KKR to release Rahman.
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Liton Das’s international career
In his 11-year career, Liton Das has been a consistent presence in the Bangladesh line-up and has also been a consistent presence behind the stumps.
He has scored over 3,000 runs in Tests and over 2,700 runs in both ODIs and T20Is.
Currently, Liton Das is playing for Bangladesh in the Test series against Pakistan on home ground. While Liton could not make any mark in the first Test, in the second Test he scored a century in the first innings and followed it up with a half-century in the second innings.