Bangladesh has handed Mustafizur Rahman an uninterrupted release covering the entire Hundred 2026 season, a striking contrast to the conditional exits he faced from two separate leagues earlier this year. The left-arm pace bowler signed with Birmingham Phoenix during March’s player auction for a base price of £100,000, becoming the first-ever Bangladeshi cricketer to secure a contract in the competition. This time around, there is no injury scare or outside directive cutting his tournament short before it even gets underway.
Bangladesh Grants A Rare Uninterrupted Release
The Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed the release on July 4, covering the period from July 20 to August 20. The Hundred itself runs from July 21 to August 16, with the final at Lord’s, so the NOC effectively covers the whole tournament plus a short window afterward for travel rather than extending beyond his actual availability.
Mustafizur’s Birmingham Phoenix deal, agreed at March’s auction for a base price of £100,000, made him the first Bangladeshi player to sign a contract in the competition. That auction was itself a first for The Hundred, replacing the draft format the tournament had used in previous seasons.
Mustafizur Rahman Hundred 2026 NOC
This full release stands out because Bangladesh’s board has not always let him finish a tournament uninterrupted this year. In April, the board withdrew his NOC for Lahore Qalandars mid-way through PSL 2026, after a knee issue surfaced following Bangladesh’s ODI series against New Zealand. He had already missed the first two ODIs of that series before playing the third, and his PSL numbers stood at 6 wickets from 5 matches at the point of withdrawal. A teammate’s release, Nahid Rana’s spell at Peshawar Zalmi, was pulled at the same time for unrelated Test-preparation reasons.
A separate exit came at the IPL, where Kolkata Knight Riders had signed him for INR 9.2 crore at auction before the BCCI directed the franchise to release him, citing reports of unrest affecting Hindus in Bangladesh. That decision came from India’s board rather than Bangladesh’s, a distinction worth keeping straight given how often the two exits get grouped together.
No explanation has been offered publicly for why this NOC came through in full without conditions. Against a year that has otherwise brought interruption at almost every turn, the absence of any complication is notable largely for what it is rather than for anything BCB has said.
Phoenix Squad Built Around Overseas Quota
Jacob Bethell captains the squad under head coach Shane Bond, with Edgbaston, capacity around 25,000, serving as home ground. The Hundred allows a maximum of four overseas players in a starting XI, and Birmingham Phoenix have filled that quota with Mustafizur alongside Donovan Ferreira, Mitchell Owen and Usman Tariq.
| Player | Role | Contract (£) | Nationality |
| Jacob Bethell (C) | Batting Allrounder | 340,000 | England |
| Rehan Ahmed | Bowling Allrounder | 250,000 | England |
| Donovan Ferreira | Allrounder | 210,000 | South Africa |
| Scott Currie | Bowling Allrounder | 210,000 | England |
| Saqib Mahmood | Bowler | 150,000 | England |
| Usman Tariq | Bowler | 140,000 | Pakistan |
| Mitchell Owen | Allrounder | 130,000 | Australia |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Bowler | 100,000 | Bangladesh |
Mustafizur’s £100,000 fee sits toward the lower end of the group, but his role as the squad’s specialist left-arm pace option gives him a clear path into the XI regardless of the overseas competition around him.
Group Stage Fixtures Await At Edgbaston
Birmingham Phoenix open their campaign at home to Trent Rockets on July 24, before back-to-back away trips to Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave.
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 24 Jul | Phoenix vs Trent Rockets | Edgbaston (Home) |
| 28 Jul | Man Super Giants vs Phoenix | Old Trafford (Away) |
| 30 Jul | Southern Brave vs Phoenix | The Ageas Bowl (Away) |
| 1 Aug | Phoenix vs Welsh Fire | Edgbaston (Home) |
| 5 Aug | Trent Rockets vs Phoenix | Trent Bridge (Away) |
| 7 Aug | Phoenix vs Sunrisers Leeds | Edgbaston (Home) |
| 9 Aug | London Spirit vs Phoenix | Lord’s (Away) |
| 12 Aug | Phoenix vs MI London | Edgbaston (Home) |
The top three of eight teams advance to the knockouts, with an eliminator at The Oval ahead of the final at Lord’s on August 16. Whatever comes of the Mustafizur Rahman Hundred 2026 NOC on the field, it at least guarantees he’ll be available for every one of those group games without the mid-tournament recall that has shadowed his year so far.