Mustafizur a ‘big name for world cricket’, says Qalandars owner Rana

Lahore Qalandars owner Sameen Rana has described the signing of Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman as an honour, calling him one of the biggest names not only in the Pakistan Super League but in world cricket.

“Look, he’s obviously a very big name, not just for the Pakistan Super League but for world cricket too,” Rana said after the franchise announced Mustafizur as a direct signing for PSL 11. “Selecting him is an honour for any team, and anyway, our relationship and fondness for him goes way back.”

Rana recalled that Mustafizur was Lahore Qalandars’ first Gold category pick when the PSL began a decade ago, although the Bangladesh pacer was unable to join the team at the time due to NOC-related issues.

“I remember that 10 years ago, when the Pakistan Super League started, Mustafizur Rahman was Lahore Qalandars’ first Gold category pick. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come at that time due to some NOC issues,” he said. “But he eventually came after two years, and we really enjoyed his presence.”

The Qalandars owner said Mustafizur’s sustained performances around the world made his return especially valuable for the defending champions.

“By God’s grace, he’s still performing wonderfully across the world, and I believe it’s Lahore’s good fortune to have a player like Mustafiz available to us,” Rana said.

Rana revealed that the franchise had been keen on bringing Mustafizur back even before finalising their retentions, once the pacer had formally signed with the PSL.

“When we were doing our retentions, and Mustafiz had signed with the PSL, it was already in our minds that we wanted to get Mustafiz,” he said. “But obviously, the initial hurdle was the retention process itself. Once that was complete, we looked at our squad’s gaps and saw where we could fit Mustafiz, and Fizz was fitting in very ideally.”

He expressed particular excitement about pairing Mustafizur with Pakistan fast-bowling spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, highlighting their effectiveness across different phases of the innings.

“I am very excited to see the Shaheen and Fizz combo,” Rana said. “Their performances in death overs or middle overs, particularly their recent ones, have been superb.”