Taskin Ahmed prefers national duties over Indian T20 League

Earlier in the day, the news of Gautam Gambhir approaching Taskin Ahmed to join the Lucknow team broke out. He was given a deadline till tonight to make his decision. The offer demanded him to not play for Bangladesh in the upcoming Test series against South Africa. Lucknow approached Taskin after Mark Wood, who was signed by Lucknow, was ruled out of the tournament.

However, the pacer from Bangladesh has decided not to participate in the upcoming Indian T20 League. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said that they wanted him to prioritise international cricket over cash-rich ITL. Apparently, he was not given the NOC from the board.

Speaking to the reporters, Jalal Yunus (Cricket operations committee chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board) said, "He already informed that he will not be able to play the IPL. He will play the South Africa series and will return home after completing the South Africa series."

"We already talked with Taskin. He could understand and accept that IPL cannot be prioritised ahead of national duty. National commitment is above everything. He came to this position because of playing for the national side. There will be no value if you are not playing for the national side," he added.

"The management of Lucknow Super Giants have contacted us as they are willing to rope in Taskin for the upcoming season. However, since the national team is engaged in a crucial series in South Africa and there are two important Test matches, we didn't give him permission or NOC. Let's finish the series first, then we can think what's next," Yunus said further.

Ahmed is a promising young talent and has done well in his few chances.  He is currently playing in the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa, which concludes on March 23. The pacer is also set to feature in the two-match Test series against the Proteas, starting on March 28.