Mark Wood became the first cricketer of the year 2024 to withdraw his name from the Indian Premier League. The express fast bowler of England was retained by the Lucknow Super Giants team ahead of the auction. However, just a month before the tournament, England and Wales Cricket Board withdrew his name, stating that they need to manage his workload.
With the T20 World Cup 2024 set to happen immediately after the IPL, it should not be a surprise if more players decided to pull out of IPL 2024 like Mark Wood. In this article now, we will look at the three such fast bowlers who may prefer taking rest for the T20 World Cup instead of playing in IPL 2024.
1. Gus Atkinson will not play in IPL 2024 like Mark Wood
England fast bowler Gus Atkinson has already been withdrawn from the IPL 2024 season. Atkinson earned a contract from the Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL 2024 tournament. However, the England fast bowler will not turn up for them. IPL confirmed the development and issued the following statement via a media release:
“Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have named Dushmantha Chameera as a replacement for England pacer Gus Atkinson for the upcoming edition of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.”
2. Mustafizur Rahman
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has a habit of taking their players out of IPL for national duty. If BCB arranges a series before the IPL to prepare for the T20 World Cup, then they might pull CSK bowler Mustafizur Rahman out of the competition.
3. Reece Topley
Another left-arm fast bowler to feature on the list is Reece Topley, who is a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad. Topley has been ruled out of PSL due to injury issues, and if ECB decides to manage his workload, the left-arm fast bowler may not turn up in the IPL as well.
