In a major blow to the Lucknow Super Giants franchise, pace bowler Mark Wood is reportedly out of the Indian Premier League 2022 season due to an injury. He was signed by the franchise for INR 7.5 crores at the auctions.
Mark Wood sustained an elbow injury during the first Test match against West Indies in Antigua, last week. He missed the following test match, at Barbados. Wood’s injury is believed to take more time to heal, which rules him out of the upcoming IPL 2022 season, as reported by Espncricinfo.
🚨 Mark Wood is ruled out of IPL 2022#IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/8kS7NkFv6I
— CricFit (@CricFit) March 18, 2022
Mark Wood’s doubtful participation comes as a major blow to Lucknow Super Giants. With the tournament less than 10-days away, the franchise will be looking for a potential replacement.
In this article, we take a look at three players who can replace Mark Wood in the Lucknow Super Giants squad.
1. Reece Topley
Reece Topley went unsold at the IPL auctions for his base price of 75 lakhs. He could be signed by the Lucknow Super Giants as Mark Wood’s replacement. The left-arm pacer is yet to make his debut in the Indian Premier League.
However, Reece has good T20 experience under his belt, having played 104 T20 matches. He has 131 wickets at an average of 22.16. The tall lanky pace could be lethal in the slog overs, with his fearsome yorkers.
2. Andrew Tye
Andrew Tye made his Indian Premier League debut in 2017 and impressed everyone straightaway. He took five wickets, Â in four overs, conceding 17 runs at an economy rate of 4.25.
The following year, he played for the Punjab Kings and won the Purple Cap, as he took 24 wickets in 14 games. However, Andrew Tye had a below-par 2019 IPL season. The pacer could get a chance to revive his IPL career if the Lucknow Super Giants sign him as Mark Wood’s replacement.
3. Blessing Muzarabani
Blessing Muzarabani’s natural pace could prove to be an asset for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022. His height also gets him a good bounce off the surface, which can trouble the batters. The Zimbabwean pacer is yet to play in the Indian Premier League. He has 21 T20Is for Zimbabwe so far, taking 25 wickets at an average of 26.12.
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