Star pacer set to join Lucknow as Mark Wood's replacement - Reports

In the latest learnings, Bangladeshi pace star Taskin Ahmed is likely to be roped in by Lucknow as Mark Wood's replacement. Lucknow mentor, Gautam Gambhir, enquired about his availability for the upcoming season. Mark Wood pulled out of the tournament due to an injury that he suffered during the series against West Indies. He was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the series.

Reportedly, Gambhir has given Ahmed a time limit till today, March 21, to respond to this offer. He will consult the Bangladesh Cricket Board for the same. Taskin is currently part of the Bangladesh squad for the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. He played a big role in Bangladesh's win over the hosts in the first ODI.

If he accepts the offer, he will travel to India before the Test series against South Africa. There have been other instances of Bangladesh players being allowed to play the Indian T20 League over their national duties. Shakib Al Hasan was a member of the Kolkata team last season and missed out on the series against Sri Lanka.

"Franchise cricket is a reality now," a member of the Bangladesh team told Kaler Kanth (Bangladesh's news agency). Meanwhile, the Lucknow team has begun their training sessions ahead of the start of the season. Captain KL Rahul was in full swing as he joined the net sessions. He looked in a good rhythm and had complete control of the game.

The Indian T20 League will begin on the 26th of March, with the defending champions taking on Kolkata in the season opener. Lucknow will play their first game against another new team, Gujarat on the 28th of March.