Blessing Muzarabani signed by Lucknow as Mark Wood’s replacement for IPL 2022

Blessing Muzarabani signed by Lucknow as Mark Wood’s replacement for IPL 2022: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday in its second attempt successfully signed Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani as the replacement for injured Mark Wood ahead of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) season fifteen.

Mark Wood, who was bagged by Lucknow Super Giants during IPL auctions for a deal of INR 7.5 Crores, sustained a right elbow injury and was subsequently ruled out of the Tata IPL 2022. 

There were speculations that Muzarabani could be the next possible replacement in the Lucknow squad for IPL 2022. The development was confirmed by the Indian Embassy in Zimbabwe with a social media post. The Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe met Blessing Muzarabani ahead of his travel to India. 

“Ambassador met with Mr Blessing Muzarabani, the Zimbabwean bowler, as he prepared to leave for #IPL2022. Ambassador wished him & his team #LucknowSuperGiants the very best. #IndiaAt75 @IndianDiplomacy @MEAIndia.”

The right-arm pacer is the first Zimbabwe cricketer in the last eight years to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Earlier the likes of Tatenda Taibu, Ray Price and Brendan Taylor from Zimbabwe have plied their trade in the lucrative cash-rich tournament.

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The Lucknow based new IPL franchise is yet to officially announce the development.

Interestingly, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wanted to rope in Bangladeshi pacer Taskin Ahmad as Wood’s first-choice replacement, however, the offer was turned down by the cricketer as he was not granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

BCB was hesitant in issuing NOC to Taskin to feature in the IPL owing to the impending international calendar ahead. Bangladesh is currently touring South Africa for three matches ODI followed by two test games. 

Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) would be taking on Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 28th in the Wankhede Stadium to kickstart their Indian Premier League journey. The fifteenth season of the IPL starts on March 26th with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) locking horns against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

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