IPL 2021 Auction: Why has Mark Wood opted out of IPL auction 2021?

Mark Wood opted out of IPL auction: The English pacer withdrew his name on the eve of the auction for the 14th season of the IPL.

England fast bowler Mark Wood has opted out of the auction for the 14th season of the Indian Premier League a night before the event in Chennai.

Wood, 31, had played a solitary match for Chennai Super Kings in 2018 giving away 49 runs in his four-over spell. The right-arm bowler was part of the squad which lifted the trophy though.

Wood was subsequently released by CSK ahead of the 2019 season and didn’t play in the next two seasons either. He was among the 10 players who had been shortlisted with a highest base price of INR 2 crore ahead of the auction.

Why has Mark Wood opted out of IPL auction 2021?

Wood, who had most recently toured Sri Lanka, had returned home to England as their national selectors continue to rotate multi-format players in a bid to keep them fresh for the white-ball leg of the tour of India.

ALSO READ: 3 Overseas players who should be bought in IPL 2021 auction

However, Wood has now returned to India to join the squad for the remaining two Tests amidst criticism of the rotation policy which has somehow prevented England from playing their first-choice XI.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Wood has withdrawn from the auction in a bid to travel back to England to spend more time with his wife and young child. Considering England’s hectic schedule for this year, it is imperative for them to give appropriate rest to their A-list names.