Amidst our solid and positive build-up to Mission 2024, the Mumbai Indians will sadly miss the crucial presence of our Aussie star Jason Behrendorff.

The lanky pacer, who with his left-arm pace was one of the prime leaders of our bowling unit last term - 14 wickets in 12 games - has been ruled out of the running for the upcoming IPL edition as he continues to recover from a fractured left fibula. He sustained the injury last week during a practice session at the WACA cricket ground.

While he does not require surgery, the reigning Australia Men’s T20I Player of the Year has been given a tentative recovery timeline of roughly eight weeks. This effectively means no participation in IPL 2024 and a potential absence from the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in June.

“Unfortunately there was a freak accident at training last week which resulted in my leg being broken. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, just a very unlucky incident. I have loved being a part of the MI Family and I am absolutely gutted to be missing this years IPL. Wishing Mumbai Indians a successful season and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to be back next year,” said Behrendorff via his Instagram story.

In light of this, MI have signed in English international cricketer Luke Wood as a like-for-like replacement.

A dedicated cricketer who confidently fronted the Blue and Gold bowling setup in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah last season, coupled with the sheer glimpses of pranks and smiles off the field, we will surely miss having Jason around, and we are with him on his road to recovery!