To manage the workload, the England and Wales Cricket Board has dropped pacer Mark Wood from the 2024 Indian Premier League, according to ESPNCricinfo. Wood was supposed to represent the Lucknow Super Giants, however, the board wants him to stay fresh ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, so 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 signed by Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2022 for a fee of INR 7.50 crore. However, Wood missed the entire season due to his elbow injury. Wood returned in IPL 2023 and played 4 matches for Lucknow Super Giants. Wood picked up 11 wickets but was very expensive and made more than 11 runs in a row.
England I would be hosting West Indies and Sri Lanka just after the T20 World Cup and Mark Wood is one of the important players of the English team. Wood is currently touring India and played the first Test of the five-match series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Mark Wood failed to pick up any wickets in the match, but he was economical throughout the match.
Mark Wood out of IPL 2024
Wood has played a total of five matches in the Indian Premier League and has picked only 11 wickets, which he did in the 2023 edition of the cash-rich league.
It 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 be part of the IPL 2024 auction as he was recovering from his elbow injury and the board wants him to be fit before the T20 World Cup 2024.
Coming to Shamar Joseph, the young West Indies pacer was the star of the show during the recent AUS vs WI Test series. Even after getting injured in the second Test match at the Gabba, Shamar Joseph tore through the Australian batting line-up and took a seven-fer in the second innings. He was the hero of West Indies’ victory over the Australians and helped his team level the series at 1-1.
Lucknow Super Giants have performed decently in their first two editions of the Indian Premier League. LSG managed to make it to the playoffs both times and would like to repeat the same performance in IPL 2024. Led by KL Rahul, the team consists of players like Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stonis, Naveen-ul-Haq, Kyle Mayers and David Willey on the team.
The Indian Premier League 2024 is expected to start from the last week of March and continue until May. Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions of the tournament, while 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 could once again end with the same goal.