The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner. The first match of the tournament will be played on March 31. Two Bangladesh stars Shakib Al Hasan and Liton Kumar Das have signed a contract with Kolkata Knight Riders to play in this event. Both have sought permission from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to play in the competition. Jalal Yunus Chowdhury, head of BCB’s cricket management department, told the media that Shakib-Litton’s clearance was sought. Jalal gave this information on the day of the first ODI against Ireland on Saturday (March 18). He said, ‘It has not been discussed yet. They wrote to us. But we haven’t discussed it yet.’Both Shakib-Litton is now busy playing the series against Ireland.

The Tigers’ white-ball series against the Irish ends on March 31. After that, a test will be held between the two teams. So Shakib-Litton will miss the only Test if he goes to play IPL. However, Mustafizur Rahman, who has signed a contract with Delhi Capitals, is not considered for the Test. So there should not be any complications for him to play in IPL. It remains to be seen what BCB will decide in such a situation. Although the IPL starts on March 31, Shakib-Litton’s Kolkata will play the first match a day later. Kolkata will play its first match against Punjab Kings in Mohali. They will then host Royal Challengers Bangalore at their home ground Eden on April 6. Kolkata’s opponent on April 9 is the defending champion Gujarat Titans. Shakib-Litton’s team will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Eden in their fourth match of the season on April 14.

A day later, on April 16, Kolkata will face Mumbai Indians in an away match. Kolkata will host Delhi Capitals on April 20. The Knights will again play against Chennai Super Kings at home on April 23. Kolkata will play against Bengaluru in the away match on April 26. April 29 vs Gujarat at Eden. Kolkata will face Hyderabad in the away match on May 4. After that, Kolkata will play two matches in Eden. They will face Punjab on May 8 and Rajasthan on May 11. And on May 14, the team of Shakib-Litton will face Chennai at their home ground. Kolkata will play the last match of the league stage at home. Earlier, in the auction held in Kochi on December 22 last year, Kolkata had bought Shakib for Rs 1.5 crore and Liton for Rs 50 lakh. Although Shakib has been playing in India’s franchise league since 2011, this is Liton’s first chance.