Mark Wood ruled out of IPL 2022 with elbow injury
England fast bowler Mark Wood has been ruled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. Wood has suffered an injury on his right elbow during the ongoing Test series between West Indies and England. Wood was set to play for new franchise Lucknow Super Giants. However, he will take an indefinite break to assess and plan his recovery.
ECB issues a statement
The ECB issued a statement and sais Wood will return to the UK next week for a specialist opinion regarding the management of his injury. Wood will also take an indefinite break from cricket until more information is determined from the elbow specialist. The team management will also decide whether a replacement is required ahead of the third WI-England Test match.
Why does this story matter?
Wood was bought by LSG for Rs. 7.5 crore at the mega IPL auction. He was expected to be a vital cog of the bowling unit. However, Wood's participation in the IPL became doubtful once he had to walk out of the first Test which ended in a draw. Notably, he delivered just 17 overs because of an impingement in his right elbow.
The problems to be faced by LSG
LSG have suffered a blow with Wood getting ruled out. The foreign quota of pacers they have in terms of bowling are Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, and Dushmantha Chameera. However, both Holder and Stoinis will miss the start of the IPL 2022 campaign given West Indies and Australia will be playing bilateral series against England and Pakistan respectively.
Wood's career stats
In 26 Tests, Wood has claimed 82 scalps at 31.91. Interestingly, Wood was England's best performer in their 4-0 Ashes defeat in December-January. He claimed 17 wickets at 26.64. In 57 ODIs, he has taken 69 wickets at 38.28. In 19 T20Is, he has claimed 26 wickets. Overall in T20s, he has claimed 46 scalps from 40 games.
LSG to face Titans in opener
Lucknow Super Giants start their IPL 2022 season against Gujarat Titans on March 28. It's the fourth match of the IPL season. The match will be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai (7:30 PM IST).
