IPL 2018: Mark Wood leaves tournament midway, returns home

28-year-old England pacer Mark Wood has left the Chennai Super Kings midway through the IPL 2018 to return home and prepare for the upcoming home season. The fast bowler played only one match for the IPL franchise, making his debut in the season opener against the Mumbai Indians on 7th April. He went wicket-less, going for 49 runs.

In a post published on social networking medium Instagram, the Northumberland-born pacer said that he intends to play for Durham in a bid to bolster his chances of getting a place in the English team.

"The decision has been made for me to return home to England to prepare for the English summer. Having worked so hard to get back into the Test team, and because I'm not currently not in the CSK side, I am coming home to play for Durham to hopefully put my name in the hat for Test match selection" he said in a post.

Before the tournament started, Wood had said that he was aiming at bringing something different to the team and helping the Super Kings get some wins.

"The word is exciting, I don't know what I'm going into. It could be a little manic and crazy - but I guess that will fit in with me quite nicely. Hopefully, I can bring something different to the team and try and get some wins under our belt. I'm really looking forward to the challenge", he had told Sky Sports.

More to follow...