Mumbai Indians have brought in England pacer Luke Wood as a replacement for the injured Jason Behrendorff for the upcoming IPL 2024. The IPL’s official page confirmed this development on March 18, Monday.
Wood, a left-arm pacer, has played five T20Is and two ODIs for England, with eight T20I wickets to his name. He joins MI as a like-for-like replacement for Australian Behrendorff at a base price of Rs 50 lakh.
Recognised for his ability to swing the ball back into right-handers, Wood poses a threat to the batters. Additionally, he has demonstrated prowess with the bat, evident from his maiden first-class century scored off just 105 balls against Sussex.
In his career spanning 140 matches, Wood has secured 147 wickets at an economy rate of 8.45. His recent performance in the Pakistan Super League for Peshawar Zalmi highlighted his effectiveness with the white ball.
Amid injury concerns over Suryakumar Yadav — doing rehab at the NCA — and uncertainties surrounding Gerald Coetzee and Dilshan Madushanka, the inclusion of Wood will strengthen the MI squad.
The five-time champions commence their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 24.