In a major blow to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the Lanka Premier League (LPL), Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has surprised everyone by giving priority to national interest over franchise money.
Bangladesh’s star fast bowler has withdrawn his name from the ongoing Lanka Premier League 2026 (LPL 2026) after getting permission from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis suffered an injury ahead of the India Test and has been ruled out of LPL 2026.
Taskin Ahmed puts Bangladesh first, ignores LPL
Taskin Ahmed was all set to represent Jaffna Kings in the ongoing Lanka Premier League 2026 (LPL 2026). However, as Bangladesh prepares for the crucial Test tour of Australia, the right-arm pacer felt his entire focus should be on national duty.
Bangladesh will play a two-match Test series in Australia for the first time since 2003 next month. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had already given No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Taskin Ahmed to play in LPL 2026. Earlier, the fast bowler had also planned to skip the T20 series against Zimbabwe and travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament.
But Taskin Ahmed’s plans changed after veteran fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was ruled out of the T20 series in Zimbabwe due to injury. The fast bowler remained with the Bangladesh team for the Zimbabwe series and later decided to opt out of LPL 2026 altogether.
Why did Taskin Ahmed withdraw his name from LPL 2026?
The fast bowler felt that playing in the Lanka Premier League 2026 and then traveling directly to Australia would not give him enough time to prepare for the Test series. Meanwhile, Sikandar Raza refused to call India favorites ahead of Shreyas Iyer’s third T20I series as captain.
Taskin Ahmed also admitted that he has lost the chance to earn good money, but for him it was more important for Bangladesh to play the Test series in Australia.
Taskin told The Daily Sun, “Yes, I withdrew myself from the LPL, and it was mainly to prepare for the Australia Test series. We played six matches in a row in Zimbabwe; if I had returned home and gone to Australia immediately I would have probably got four matches there (in the LPL). My Test match preparation would be hampered; despite a bit of defeat, I thought it was OK.”
Since the Australia series is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27, Taskin did not want to take any risks in his preparation for the challenging tour. He signed off by saying, “The Australia series will not come again and again; that’s why I took the decision even after being an NOC, so I withdrew from the LPL.”
Injury concerns for Bangladesh before Australia tour
On the other hand, Bangladesh are also keeping a close eye on young fast bowler Nahid Rana, who suffered a left strain during the second T20I against Zimbabwe. He could not complete his spell in the match and will now undergo a scan to find out how serious the injury is.
At the same time, left arm fast bowler Shoriful Islam is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered during the Zimbabwe tour. If his rehabilitation goes well then it is expected that he will be available for the first Test against Australia.
The first Test between Australia and Bangladesh will be played in Darwin from 13 to 17 August. The second and last Test will be played in Mackay from 22 to 26 August.
