David Willey to miss start of IPL 2024 due to personal reasons 

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) all-rounder David Willey will not be available for the initial phase of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) due to personal reasons.

Willey was recently part of the Multan Sultans squad that made it to the final of the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL). He also represented the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the 2024 International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the start of the year.

Willey played the entire PSL season for Multan, and was the fourth-leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps in 11 matches at an economy rate of 7.46. The all-rounder's cause for a break stems from the fact that he has been constantly on the road since the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, although he was not part of the subsequent white-ball tour of the West Indies.

The Englishman's absence, at least for the initial phase of the tournament was confirmed by LSG head coach Justin Langer ahead of the season.

"With Mark Wood pulling out of the tournament and also David Willey won't be coming now either, that means we lack some experience. But what I've also seen in the last couple of days is that we have enormous talent. Some of our guys have had some injuries but they all look very fit at the moment," Langer told reporters.

David Willey was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) outfit over the last couple of editions, before being released ahead of the 2024 IPL mini-auction. He was roped in by the KL Rahul-led franchise for a base price of ₹2 crore for the 2024 season.

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"He pulled out after the auction, which is disappointing but this is the world we live in" - Justin Langer on Mark Wood's absence in IPL 2024

LSG had to bring in a late replacement for Mark Wood, who withdrew from the tournament to manage his workload. The franchise brought in West Indies' Shamar Joseph, an exciting prospect despite his overwhelming lack of experience in T20 cricket.

Justin Langer admitted that the franchise would struggle to replicate the impact 'world class' Mark Wood could have brought. However, he has faith in the makeshift pace bowling department for IPL 2024 comprising Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, and Yash Thakur in particular.

"Mark Wood is a world-class bowler, isn't he? And he pulled out after the auction, which is disappointing but this is the world we live in. We also have Shamar Joseph, we have Mayank who bowls with very good pace. Hopefully, we can replace, not [Wood's] experience, but his pace with Shamar Joseph and Mayank. He'll be missed - of course, he'll be missed, he's a world-class bowler - but this is the world we live in and we will adapt and we will be okay," Langer added.

LSG will kickstart their IPL 2024 campaign with a fixture against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday, March 24.