There is a long-standing perception that Mustafizur Rahman has not been the same since undergoing a shoulder surgery in 2016.
The left-armer bamboozled one and all in his first year in international cricket, but once the novelty wore off and the surgery curtailed his unique skill, his effectiveness reduced considerably.
However, Mustafizur, now 30, still remains the most sought-after Bangladeshi cricketer in franchise leagues across the world as just this Tuesday, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him for a whopping INR 9.2 crore, the highest ever bid for a Bangladeshi in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Six more Bangladeshi cricketers were listed in this year's mini-auction, including Rishad Hossain, the Tigers' highest wicket-taker in T20Is in the last 12 months, who is currently playing for the Hobart Hurricanes in his maiden season in the Big Bash League.
Pacer Taskin Ahmed was also in the mix, who took three more wickets than Mustafizur during this period and had a significantly better strike rate, 11.6, compared to the left-armer, 17.3.
Still, only Mustafizur attracted interest in the auction. What then separates him from the rest?
According to Bangladesh batting coach Mohammad Ashraful, it's his unique abilities -- slowers and cutters -- and proven record on IPL wickets that fetched him the big bucks from KKR.
"He has a special skill, obviously, which creates the demand. He is different and you can say that there is no other bowler in the world like him," Ashraful told The Daily Star yesterday.
"I used to play [Muttiah] Muralitharan, a right-arm off-spinner, and although Mustafizur is a fast bowler, he produces a lot of revolutions on the ball like Murali… Playing him is a difficult prospect and if there is help in the wicket, it's even more challenging since it grips," he added.
Mustafizur, who made his IPL debut in 2016, has played for five different franchises across eight seasons in the league. In the last five seasons, he has claimed 41 wickets in 36 matches.
His economy rate in T20Is in the last 12 months is only 6.09, and in his three outings for the Delhi Capitals in the previous IPL season, he went for less than eight runs per over.
"Since the games are played on Indian surfaces, we see high-scoring games, scores of 280, which again are being chased down at times. In those kinds of games, Mustafizur often turns out to be the difference-maker.
"In 14 matches in a season, at least 5-6 matches take place on a surface where Mustafizur can beat a team all on his own. So, when a player can do that, he will always be in demand," he said.
Mustafizur, however, won't get a full NOC from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the IPL as according to statements from cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, he would have to return to Bangladesh for 8-10 days between the stint for a home series against New Zealand.
Ashraful felt that the board should give Mustafizur substantial opportunity to shine in the IPL and he also rued how players with unique skills, like Mustafizur, fall through the cracks in Bangladesh cricket.
"We have players who are different but you can't just develop them through practice sessions, they aren't playing enough matches. When you play in Chattogram, you see many varieties in the nets but they aren't playing and I still don't know how these talents can come through," he said.
