Taskin Ahmed withdraws from LPL to prepare for Australia Tests

Experienced Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed has withdrawn from the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 in a bid to prepare for the upcoming international assignment – a two-match away Test series against Australia in August.

The 31-year-old pacer, who has represented Bangladesh in 19 Tests, 94 ODIs and 90 T20Is thus far since making his international debut in 2014, was roped in by defending Jaffna Kings for the ongoing sixth edition of the LPL, slated to run until August 8.

Whereas Bangladesh's first Test of the upcoming two-match away series against Australia is scheduled to get underway on August 13. As a result, Taskin would have been left with a cooling period of less than four days had the defending champions made it all the way to the final.

"Yeah it is mainly for preparation [for the Australia tour]," Taskin told a mainstream Bangladeshi newspaper.

Notably, Taskin featured in all of Bangladesh's six white-ball away matches, three ODIs and as many T20Is, against Zimbabwe, which concluded Sunday, and was due to join the Kings squad after the national duty.

But the right-arm pacer, who had also been issued the No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the LPL 2026, opted to withdraw from the franchise league, emphasising that his stint would have hampered his preparations for the Australia series, which he stressed does not come often.

"We played six back-to-back matches in Zimbabwe, maybe I would have got four matches there [in LPL], after my stint there if I return home and immediately go to Australia my Test match preparation would be hampered, despite a little loss I thought it's OK," Taskin continued.

"The Australia series won't come around often, that's why I took the decision, even after having the NOC, so I pulled out from the LPL."