Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have announced Shamar Joseph as the replacement for Mark Wood for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. The West Indies fast bowler secured a Rs 3-crore deal and it will be his maiden stint at the IPL. He went unsold at the auction, where his base price was Rs 50 Lakh.
The IPL confirmed Joseph’s LSG contract via a press release, although it remains unclear why Wood withdrew from the tournament. The fast bowler is currently with the England team for the ongoing five-Test series in India.
Joseph’s arrival at the IPL comes on the back of his recent Gabba heroics, where he took seven wickets, bowling with an injured toe, to secure an eight-run win for his team. West Indies won a Test against Australia after a gap of 27 years and Joseph became an overnight hero. The 24-year-old joins an LSG pace attack that already has David Willey, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mayank Yadav, Yudhvir Singh, Shivam Mavi and Arshad Khan.
The LSG team management this season has undergone significant changes, with Justin Langer taking over as the head coach, replacing Andy Flower. Gautam Gambhir, who was the team mentor last season, too, left for Kolkata Knight Riders. At the IPL 2024 auction, LSG bolstered their squad by adding six players.