Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman are the two best cricketers in Bangladesh. Shakib has been one of the best all-rounders in the world over the past several years. In 2015, he became the first cricketer to top the ICC all-rounder rankings in all formats at the same time. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman stunned the cricketing world in 2015 with impressive performances against Pakistan, India, and South Africa. These two cricketers are regular participants in IPL tournaments. This article analyzes the performances of Shakib and Mustafizur in the cash-rich franchise league to identify who is the most successful player in IPL?

Shakib and Mustafiz's IPL performances based on stats

Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman have been key players for their respective teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in recent years. Mustafizur made his IPL debut in 2016 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Shakib made his debut in 2011 for Kolkata Knight Riders. Both players have also won IPL titles with their respective teams.

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IPL Trophy

Shakib Al Hasan has won the IPL trophy twice in his 9-year career. Shakib won the IPL trophy with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2012 and 2014 seasons. Shakib was also a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team that finished second in the Indian Premier League in 2018.

On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman won the title for Sunrisers Hyderabad in his first season, in 2016. He was a member of the Hyderabad franchise in the 2017 season as well. Mustafizur also played for the Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians in 2018 and the Rajasthan Royals in 2021.

Batting & Bowling Record

Sources: https://www.iplt20.com/

Shakib Al Hasan had his best IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018. In 17 matches, he scored 239 runs at a strike rate of 121.31. Shakib also took 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.

On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman had his best IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. The Fizz took 17 wickets with an average of 24.76 and a 6.90 economy rate. 

When comparing the figures of the two players, it can be seen that Mustafizur Rahman's contribution in bowling is relatively better than Shakib's. On the other hand, Shakib has scored some runs with the bat since he is an all-rounder. But Shakib has not been as aggressive as a T20 batsman in the Indian Premier League.

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Performance in the championship matches

Shakib Al Hasan was a crucial player for Kolkata in both the 2012 and 2014 finals. Kolkata reached the target with 3 balls to spare after chasing 200 runs in 2012 final against Kings XI Punjab. In that match, Shakib scored 12 runs off 7 balls. But it was his balling that thrived in the championship match. Shakib was the most economical (4 - 0 - 26 - 0) among the Kolkata bowlers.

Two years later, all-rounder Shakib played an important role once again in the final against Chennai in 2014. Batted first, Chennai scored 190 runs for the loss of three wickets. Shakib bowled three overs and took one wicket for 25 runs. Shakib contributed to Kolkata's victory by playing an unbeaten innings of 11 * off 7 balls after losing the wicket of Yusuf Pathan at the crucial moment.

On the other hand, in 2016, Sunrisers Hyderabad batted first and scored 208 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. In reply, Royal Challengers Bangalore only managed to score 200 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Mustafiz didn't bat in the final. He took the wicket of Shane Watson in his 4 overs spell and gave away 36 runs.

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Verdict

Shakib Al Hasan is believed to be ahead of Mustafizur Rahman in terms of having an impact on a team's success. Shakib has just two half-centuries and has yet to complete a thousand runs despite appearing in more than 50 IPL matches. He has also 61 wickets at an economy rate of 7.49. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman has appeared in five IPL tournaments and has taken 32 wickets in 31 matches with an economy rate of 7.69. Mustafizur was named the best emerging player in 2016 following a stellar season with Sunrisers Hyderabad. But Shakib should be regarded as the most successful player in IPL since he was outstanding for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 and made an impact in both finals for Kolkata.