IPL 2022: 5 Players who can replace Mark Wood in LSG squad

The Lucknow Super Giants have suffered a huge setback ahead of IPL 2022 as England pacer Mark Wood has been ruled out of the tournament due to an elbow injury that he had sustained during the first Test against West Indies in Antigua. Wood was roped in by the new entrants for a sum of INR 7.5 crore at the two-day mega auction event in Bengaluru last month.

The UP-based franchise is yet to name a replacement for the 2019 World Cup winner. However, with just over a week left for the 15th edition of the marquee tournament to get underway, they will be looking to name a replacement at the earliest and would be hoping to bring a quality overseas fast bowler on board. Without further ado, here’s a look at five of them.

Here is the List of Players Who can Replace Mark Wood:

1. Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye could certainly be one of the suitable replacements for Mark Wood. He had last represented the 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals in a single game in IPL 2020. When Tye’s name had popped at the last month’s mega auction, no franchise showed any interest in him and he went unsold.

The Australian pacer’s base price was INR one crore. He has picked up 40 wickets from 27 matches and was the Purple Cap winner in the 2018 edition having bagged 24 scalps from 14 matches averaging 18.66 at an economy of 8.

The Aussie death overs specialist was also the third-highest wicket-taker in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2021/22 season and played an instrumental role in the Perth Scorchers’ triumph with 19 wickets from 13 outings at an average of 17.58 and an economy of 7.86.

2. Jayden Seales

Jayden Seales is another candidate who can replace Wood for LSG this year. Seales had registered his name for IPL 2022 mega auction at a base price of INR 50 lakh but luck did not favor him on that occasion. Nonetheless, the England fast bowler’s injury could well open up the floodgates for him.

The West Indies speedster burst onto the scene at the highest level when he became the youngest player in his country to register a fifer in Tests with figures of 5/55 against Pakistan in August 2021. In just five Tests, the tall pacer has already picked up 20 wickets averaging 23.85.

The 20-year-old’s action, height, and bounce can be of great help to Lucknow should they rope him in for this season. The youngster also has some experience under his belt having represented Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

3. Blessing Muzarabani

Blessing Muzarabani is also one of the promising fast bowlers of this era and can be an ideal replacement for Mark Wood in IPL 2022. He had come into the two-day mega auction at a base price of INR 50 lakh but no one showed any interest in buying him. However, LSG could be forced to reconsider their decision this time.

The Zimbabwean cricketer was one of the most impactful bowlers in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2022 as he finished with five wickets in this season for the Multan Sultans in the four matches that he got to play averaging 25.80 and economy of 8.06 with best figures of 3/18. Nonetheless, the tall fast-medium pacer has experience with him and had played an instrumental role in Multan’s PSL victory in 2021 with 10 scalps to his name in six matches.

Apart from this, the 25-year-old also has picked 25 T20I wickets for Zimbabwe from 20 appearances averaging 24.68 and can make good use of his height for extracting bounce from the surface. He also has the ability to provide timely breakthroughs with the ball in hand.

4. Josh Little

Josh Little has been signed as a net bowler by the defending champions Chennai Super Kings but, even he can be a part of the Lucknow Super Giants quickly courtesy of bubble to bubble transfer. Meanwhile, Joshua Little’s signing amount is yet to be revealed but more importantly, it would be interesting to see whether he will be seen in Lucknow colors.

The promising Irish pacer became the second-youngest player to play T20I cricket on debut in 2016 against Hong Kong aged 16 years and 309 days old. The Dublin cricketer has so far registered 31 scalps to his name from 34 T20Is averaging 29.48.

Apart from this, the left-arm pacer also has 54 T20 wickets from as many matches at an average of 25.51 and an economy of 7.20. He also went on to represent the Dambulla Giants in the 2021 season of the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

5. Ali Khan

Ali Khan might be a relatively unknown commodity in international cricket but, even the USA cricketer is a potential candidate to succeed Mark Wood in IPL 2022. Khan has not only played various franchise leagues across the globe but was also a part of the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders squad in IPL 2020. Unfortunately, he was ruled out due to injury.

The 31-year-old speedster has played for teams like the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders, Kabul Zwanan, Khulna Titans, Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, etc., and has enough firepower and experience as well as the credentials to play in the toughest T20 league in the world.

The Pakistan-born cricketer would be eagerly awaiting a second chance to make his presence felt with the ball in hand in this edition of the Indian Premier League.