IPL 2021 Auction : Mark Wood pulls out due to personal reasons

English pacer Mark Wood, who once represented Chennai Super Kings, has decided to pull out of the IPL auction 2021 citing personal reasons.

Wood was among the eight players in the top bracket, with a base price of 2 Crore ahead of the auction, and with the dearth of quality pacers in the pool, he was expected to garner a few big bucks. However, he has decided against it to spend more time with his family.

Wood, who has represented England in 18 Tests, 53 ODIs, and 11 T20Is in his career, was rested for England’s first two Test matches against India, but recently joined the squad ahead of the two remaining Test matches. In 2018, Wood was bought by Chennai Super Kings.

Also Read: List Of Players Sold, Unsold And Squads Of All Eight Teams

Wood’s withdrawal is the only last-minute withdrawal for the IPL teams as the BCCI briefed that 16 English players will go under the hammer with the final list now being reduced to 291, including 164 Indians and 124 overseas players.

Wood pulls out keeping long English summer in mind

It must be noted that Mark Wood was lined up as a potential replacement for Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga in the 2020 edition when the pacer pulled out citing personal reasons. However, Wood turned down that offer and Mumbai eventually went ahead with James Pattinson.

Now Wood doesn’t hold a central Test contract but is a regular part of the Test system. That projects him with the fact that he earns significantly less than Test specialists on red-ball deals while the match-day bonuses and match fees were cut significantly due to the pandemic.