The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has granted Shakib Al Hasan to take a leave during next month's Test series against Sri Lanka so he can take part in upcoming edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
"Shakib wants to play T20s at the moment," cricket operations head Akram Khan said, according to ESPNcricinfo.
"He doesn't want to play Tests. He has asked for a leave for the IPL. We also don't want to force someone who doesn't want to play Tests, which is why the board has decided to grant him the leave."
Earlier, Shakib was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 32.0 million in the 2021 auction on Thursday. Then he wrote to the BCB asking for the leave.
Bangladesh's Test series against Sri Lanka was postponed twice last year due to the pandemic. The series is likely to begin on April 11 following the ICC's extended World Test Championship (WTC) deadline.
