Possible Replacements for Mark Wood
Written by: Prithvi (Puneite_)
Lucknow Super Giants were probably the most impressive performers at the auctions. The duo of Gambhir and Flower did not disappoint in their first assignment. We can assume Lucknow had no chinks in their armour and most likely aced the auction in the very first try. However, with just few days left for the tournament to start, LSG have been dealt a blow as Mark Wood is ruled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League after suffering an elbow injury during the ongoing Test series between England and West Indies.
The franchise is yet to name a replacement for the injured pacer. They have a good set of Indian pacers in Avesh Khan, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav. Dushmantha Chameera and Caribbean all-rounder Jason Holder are the overseas signings in this department. Pacer Avesh Khan was the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history with 10 crores.
Below is a list of potential replacements for Mark Wood:
1. Blessing Muzarabani
Muzarabani has worked with Andy Flower in Multan Sultans. He picked up 10 wickets at an economy of 7.71 for the Sultans in last year’s edition of the Pakistan Super League. In the final, he picked up the prized scalps of Zazai-Powell and ended up with figures of 2/26 from 4 overs.
He picked up 5 wickets in this year’s edition which included a spell of 3/18 against the Peshawar Zalmi. Overall, this fast bowling sensation from Harare has 44 wickets to his name in the T20 format at an economy of 7.81. But his availability could be a major factor. Ireland are scheduled to tour Zimbabwe in April and May for 1 test, 5 ODIs and 3 T20s.
2. Hayden Kerr
Hayden Kerr is an emerging star of Australian cricket. He smashed 98* from 58 deliveries opening the batting to send a depleted Sydney Sixers side into the BBL11 final. He was the 2nd highest wicket taker in this year’s edition of the Big Bash league with 25 wickets from 17 innings at an economy of 7.5. A left-arm pace bowler is always a big advantage. “I just put myself in for the absolute minimum amount, hopefully there’s an opportunity there if someone needs a back-up bowler, all-rounder or something like that. You never know if there’s a few injuries, hopefully the innings last night has helped cement my spot as an all-rounder” This is how Kerr had expressed his desire to play in the IPL after that knock of 98*.
3. Andrew Tye
Tye is no stranger to the league and has been a surprise package over the years. In 2018, he won the purple cap by taking 24 wickets for Punjab Kings. He has a good record in the IPL with 40 wickets from 27 games at an economy of 8.4 and has also taken a hattrick in 2017. He took 25 wickets in the 2021-22 season of the Big Bash league and was the joint 2nd highest wicket-taker taker along with Kerr.
4. Reece Topley
Lucknow lack a left-arm pacer in their squad. This could well open up opportunities for the likes of George Garton, Sheldon Cottrell, Reece Topley, Joshua Little, Ruben Trumpelmann, Shoriful Islam and Ben Dwarshuis.
Among these, Joshua Little, Topley and Cottrell could be the front runners.
Reece Topley the 6’7 tall pacer is the most experienced bowler in this format with 104 games. He has scalped 131 wickets at an economy of 8.21. In the last few months he has been in decent touch in BBL where he picked 9 wickets from 8 games and in the recent series in the Caribbean where he played 4 games and had an economical outing in 3 of them.
Lucknow can also look at David Wiese who has been making news with his all-round performances right from the CPL, T20 WC to the recently held PSL. But since they already have Holder and Stoinis doing similar roles, it’s unlikely he will be considered. Among the Indian crop of fast bowlers, Sandeep Warrier and Arzan Ngaswalla might not be bad picks.
Lucknow Super Giants squad for 2022 IPL
Total players bought: 18 Squad combination (14 Indians, 6 overseas) Batsmen: Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Manan Vohra WKs: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock Spin All-Rounders: Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham, Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma Pace All-Rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers Pacers: Avesh Khan, Dushmantha Chameera, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav Spinners: Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Nadeem
Complete List of Odds of all IPL Teams
Mumbai Indians – 5.50
Delhi Capitals – 6.00
Chennai Super Kings – 7.00
Royal Challengers Bangalore – 8.00
Punjab Kings – 8.00
Kolkata Knight Riders – 9.00
Rajasthan Royals – 10.00
Lucknow Super Giants – 11.00
Gujarat Titans – 13.00
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 21.00
