To manage the workload, the England and Wales Cricket Board has pulled pacer Mark Wood out of the Indian Premier League 2024, as per ESPNCricinfo. Wood was supposed to represent Lucknow Super Giants, however, the board wants him to remain fresh ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, due to which he will miss the 17th edition of the cash-rich league. The LSG management has signed young West Indies sensation Shamar Joseph who will join the franchise for INR 3 crore.
Mark Wood was roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2022 for a price of INR 7.50 crore. However, Wood missed the whole season due to his elbow injury. Wood made a comeback in IPL 2023 and played 4 games for the Lucknow Super Giants. Wood picked up 11 wickets but was very expensive and went for over 11 runs an over.
England would be hosting West Indies and Sri Lanka just after the T20 World Cup and Mark Wood is one of the important bowlers for the English side. Wood is currently on a tour of India and played the first Test of the five-match series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Mark Wood was not able to pick up any wicket in the match but was economical in the whole match.
Mark Wood out of IPL 2024
Wood has played a total of five matches in the Indian Premier League and has only picked 11 wickets which he did in the 2023 edition of the cash-rich league.
This is not the first time that the ECB has prevented its player from being part of the Indian Premier League. Earlier Jofra Archer was not allowed to become a part of the IPL 2024 auction as he was recovering from his elbow injury and the board wants him to be fit ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Getting to Shamar Joseph, the young West Indies pacer was the star of the show during the recent AUS vs WI Test series. Even after being injured in the second Test match at the Gabba, Shamar Joseph ripped through the Australian batting lineup and picked up a seven-fer in the second innings. He was the hero of West Indies’ win over the Aussies and helped his team to level the series by 1-1.
The Lucknow Super Giants have performed decently in their first two editions of the Indian Premier League. LSG have been able to make it to the playoffs on both occasions and would want to repeat the same performance in the IPL 2024 as well. Led by KL Rahul, the team consists of the likes of Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stonis, Naveen-ul-Haq, Kyle Mayers, and David Willey in the team.
The Indian Premier League 2024 is expected to begin from the last week of March and will go on till May. Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions of the tournament whereas Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and Kolkata Knight Riders are the clear favorites to lift the trophy. The IPL has been a platform for young players to showcase their talent on the big stage and the upcoming season of the cash-rich league might once again end up on the same goal.