Mustafizur Rahman signs with Melbourne Renegades for BBL 2026/27 season

Mustafizur Rahman will play for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League for the first time after signing for the 2026/27 season, ESPNcricinfo reported. The Bangladesh left-arm seamer replaces Jason Behrendorff, who is out for the campaign with a shoulder injury.

Mustafizur will miss the opening match against Perth Scorchers in Chennai because of ILT20 commitments. He is expected to be available for the fixture against Sydney Sixers at the SCG on December 22, according to Cricbuzz.

Why it matters

Mustafizur becomes only the third Bangladeshi cricketer to feature in the BBL, after Shakib Al Hasan and Rishad Hossain, Cricbuzz reported. The signing follows Pakistan's Haris Rauf joining Adelaide Strikers after a long association with Melbourne Stars, ESPNcricinfo said. 9, Yardbarker reported.

He has taken 121 wickets in the Bangladesh Premier League across nine campaigns, Crictracker reported. He has appeared in eight editions of the IPL tournament. Renegades now occupy 16 of their 18 available roster spots, according to Crictracker.

What happens next

Melbourne Renegades are planning to have Mustafizur available for their December 22 fixture against Sydney Sixers at the SCG, Cricbuzz said. The franchise will assess his availability for the second game depending on how his ILT20 team's campaign progresses. Renegades will face Sydney Sixers at the MCG on January 1 and Melbourne Stars on January 4, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Background

The Big Bash League is Australia's domestic T20 competition. Melbourne Renegades compete in the league and are based in Melbourne, Victoria.

The 2026–27 season, known as BBL|16, will be the sixteenth edition and runs from December 12, 2026, to January 26, 2027, with Perth Scorchers as defending champions.

Mustafizur first encountered Australia during their two-Test home series in 2017 and later featured in five T20 World Cup group games in 2022, Crictracker said.

Key figures from the signing announcement

Sources

• ESPNcricinfo

• cricbuzz.com

• Photo: Nurunnaby Chowdhury (Hasive), CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)