Pakistan Super League (PSL) defending champions Lahore Qalandars have signed Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman as a direct pick for the league’s next season.Mustafizur, who was the franchise president in 2016 and 2018, will return to Lahore Qalandars for the 2026 season. He signed a contract for Rs 6.44 billion.“Once a Qalandar, always a Qalandar. Mustafizur is more than just a player. He is a brother and an important part of our family that has never left us,” Lahore Qalandars owner Sameen Rana was quoted as saying by Pakistani news outlet A-Sports.“We are excited to welcome him to our dressing room. His talent, experience and dedication will be invaluable as we aim to defend our title and make a statement in PSL 11.”Mustafizur played 15 Tests, 116 ODIs and 126 T20Is for Bangladesh and took a total of 366 wickets across formats.The 30-year-old has also played extensively in franchise cricket around the world. He took 412 wickets in 322 matches at an average of 21.03.His transfer to Lahore Qalandars has been decided after a difficult period in recent weeks. Mustafizur was released by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders last month.KKR bought him for Rs 92 crore in the IPL auction following bids from Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. The BCCI did not provide a detailed reason for the decision, saying only that it was due to “changes in surrounding circumstances.”Following this, Bangladesh banned the broadcast of IPL in the country. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also refused to send a team to India and the ICC rejected a request to shift the T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, resulting in Bangladesh being excluded from the tournament.Bangladesh then replaced Scotland in the tournament.