England pacer Mark Wood recently spoke about his IPL experience. Wood spoke about a specific incident in which team owners pressured him to play a game despite being sick.

Wood has had a constant struggle with injuries throughout his career, which has limited his potential to play in T20 leagues around the world.

Key points

Mark Wood revealed that the IPL owner pushed him to play while he was sick. The owner offered him a private jet to match. Wood said he couldn’t get out of bed. Incident shared on the BBC podcast.

Mark Wood claims the team owner offered to send him two private planes

Wood was speaking on the BBC’s ‘Strategic Timeout’ podcast as he recounted his experience. He did not name the owner, but said that the supreme was practically moving heaven and earth for him to play.

“I wasn’t feeling very well after about five games, and the (next) game was in about three days. Every half hour, the doctor would stay back and come to my room and check my vitals.”

“I remember one day the owner called me and asked, ‘How are you feeling? Are you ready to go?’ and I said: ‘The truth is that I haven’t eaten or drunk anything, I still can’t get out of bed.’ “He said, ‘We’ll get you another doctor, we’ll do this and that,'” Wood revealed.

The pacer went on to talk about how the owner had offered him two private planes, one to go to the game and one to leave the game, to help him recover.

“The next day, the owner said again, ‘How are you feeling?’ and I said, ‘Honestly, I’m still not okay.’ Then he said, ‘I’ll send you a private plane, you get on the plane and play. Then I’ll take the plane out and take you back to your bed,'” Wood added.

Wood’s IPL career

Wood has played just two seasons in his IPL career, and both have been for different teams.

In 2018, Wood joined the Chennai Super Kings but only played one match for them. He conceded 49 runs in three wicketless overs but was able to watch his team lift the title mainly from the bench.

Wood’s second season in the IPL came with Lucknow Super Giants in 2023. In that season, he played 4 matches and took 11 wickets, including a five-wicket haul, before leaving near the end to attend the birth of his daughter.

Also Read: Phil Salt injury update: RCB star returns home after finger injury in IPL 2026

Mark Wood’s current injury and his future plans

Mark Wood has been out of action on the cricket field since injuring his knee during England’s disastrous Ashes run Down Under at the end of 2025.

He had surgery on his left knee early last year, but it doesn’t seem to have helped.

In the same podcast, he said he was trying to be cautious and bowl again for England later this year.

Across all three formats of international cricket, Wood has taken 253 wickets in 146 matches since his debut in 2015.

Mark Wood was part of England’s legendary white-ball contingent that won the ODI World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World Cup in 2022, making England the first men’s team to hold both World Cups simultaneously.

Frequently asked questions

What did Mark Wood reveal about IPL? He said a team owner wanted him to play despite being sick. What did the owner offer? A private plane to travel to the game and return immediately. Did Mark Wood name the owner? No, he did not reveal the identity.