Lucknow Super Giants has announced the inclusion of New Zealand’s fast bowler Matt Henry as a substitute for David Willey in the IPL 2024. Willey, who retired from international cricket post the ODI World Cup last year, withdrew from the tournament citing personal reasons. The announcement was made by LSG prior to their match against Punjab led by Shikhar Dhawan on Saturday, March 30, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

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Lucknow Super Giants pick Matt Henry as a replacement for David Willey.

Details🔽 #TATAIPL | @LucknowIPL

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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 30, 2024

In March, Lucknow’s head coach, Justin Langer, confirmed that David Willey would miss the first half of the IPL because he played in ILT20 and PSL back-to-back. Earlier, Lucknow’s key pacer, Mark Wood, who had a notable performance last season with a 5-wicket haul, also withdrew from the league.

Currently, under the leadership of KL Rahul, the Lucknow team finds itself at the bottom of the table with a net run rate of -1.000. Their campaign began with a defeat against Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan by 20 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. With seven teams already securing at least one victory in the tournament, Lucknow will be eager to secure their first win and ignite their campaign.

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Regarding Matt Henry’s IPL journey, he has previously represented Punjab and Chennai. In the 2017 IPL season, the seam bowler played two matches for Punjab, claiming one wicket at an economy rate of 14.2.

Last year, Henry’s World Cup campaign was cut short due to a hamstring strain after he took 11 wickets from seven matches. However, he made a comeback during the five-match T20I series against Pakistan, where he secured five wickets.

Henry showcased his prowess during New Zealand’s home Test matches against Australia and South Africa, claiming 23 wickets from four matches, including two five-wicket hauls. Across 131 T20 matches, he has amassed 151 wickets at an economy rate of 8.39.

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