"There are not many options out there" - Aakash Chopra on potential candidates to replace Mark Wood in IPL 2022
Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels there are not a lot of options in the player pool to replace a player like Mark Wood. The English pacer was ruled out of IPL 2022 after sustaining an elbow injury during the first Test between England and the West Indies.
Apart from Wood, another pacer whose participation in IPL 2022 is in doubt is Anrich Nortje. The Proteas speedster is yet to completely recover from an injury that ruled him out of the home series against India earlier this year.
Opining that most of the strike bowling options were sold at the two-day IPL 2022 mega auction last month, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:
"Mark Wood's injury is genuine, and Anrich Nortje also seems like 50-50. So, two franchises now need strike bowlers. Most of the strike bowlers were sold at the auction. The likes of Rabada, Boult, Cummins are all gone. There are not many options out there ."
Lucknow Super Giants currently have Dushmanta Chameera and Jason Holder as their overseas fast bowling options. The franchise are reportedly contempating their replacement ahead of the start of the season.
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Several overseas pacers went unsold at the auction, from which the new franchise is likely to sign their replacement for Mark Wood. Terming Kane Richardson as one such option, Chopra said:
"Kane Richardson is one such option, has a decent record in T20s. He does not bowl in that 145 kmph category, but is still an overseas pace bowling auction. Went unsold at the auction, primarily because he left the tournament midway before. He has an outside chance."
Kane Richarson represented Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020. However, he, along with Adam Zampa left the bio-bubble midway through the season.
"I'll be looking at Saqib Mahmood very closely" - Aakash Chopra
Enlisting the possible names the Super Giants and even Delhi Capitals could sign to replace their injured players, Chopra spoke about Australia's Andrew Tye and England's Saqib Mahmood. Chopra said:
"Andrew Tye is a genuine option. He is a good death bowler. He has played well in the IPL before as well. Another interesting name is Saqib Mahmood. He has looked good in the couple of matches he has played so far. I'll be looking at him very closely."
The 35-year-old Australian pacer won the purple cap during his stint with the Punjab franchise in the IPL. Coming into the auction with a base price of Rs1 crore, Tye could not find any suitors among the ten franchises.
Saqib Mahmood will be making his Test debut against West Indies in the 2nd Test.
Saqib Mahmood, meanwhile, is rising through the ranks in England's white ball setup. The right-arm pacer earned his debut Test cap in the second Test against the West Indies, replacing the injured Mark Wood in the playing XI.