Mark Wood played for Sanjiv Goenka's LSG from IPL 2022-24. PC-AP
Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) is currently rocking on, with all four playoff slots open among the ten teams. Truly, the league is known for its neck-to-neck fights, but IPL is also known for its lavishness.
The most successful cricketing league, the IPL, is valued at over $18.5 billion (roughly INR 1.5 lakh crore) and is just next to the National Football League (NFL) in terms of valuation across all leagues around the globe.
As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made INR 5,761 crore from the IPL in the 2023–24 financial year (FY24), a good chunk of its profit is equally distributed among the biggest stakeholders - the IPL franchises.
Cummins, Connolly enjoyed IPL's riches
As all the franchises make fortunes from the IPL, the owners never back away from supporting their players. In the ongoing season, the examples were demonstrated in two different cases of the two Australian cricketers, Pat Cummins and Cooper Connolly.
The SRH captain Cummins missed at least half of the season following a lumbar bone stress injury. Although he joined the SRH squad in early April, the Australian seamer was flown back home for a scheduled scan on a persistent back injury.
Cummins was not the only player to enjoy IPL’s lavishness this season. Punjab’s Cooper Connolly briefly left the camp for his scans scheduled by Cricket Australia (CA) at home to get clearance to bowl.
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Mark Wood reveals team owner offered him private jet
Foreign players have always enjoyed the IPL richness, but those perks come at a cost, which is revealed by England's right-arm quick, Mark Wood. Although the speedster is not featuring in the IPL 2026, he was a hot-selling prospect till three seasons ago.
While sharing an anecdote about himself and an IPL team owner, Wood exposed a harsh reality of the league: his boss forced him to play a game despite being ill.
"I wasn't very well after about five games, and the (next) game was in about three days' time. Every half an hour, the doctor would stay back, come to my room, check on my vitals, Mark Wood spoke on BBC's 'Strategic Timeout' podcast.
"I remember one day the owner ringing me, 'How're you feeling? Ready to go?' and I said, 'Honestly, I've eaten and drunk nothing, I still can't get out of bed'. He went, 'We'll get you another doctor, we'll do this and that'," revealed Wood.
Furthermore, the English cricketer also stated that the IPL team owner also mentioned arranging all the luxuries, including a private jet, for Wood, just so that he could play a game.
"Next day, it's the owner again, 'How are you feeling?', and I said, 'Honestly, I'm still not good'. He then said, 'I'll send a private plane, you get in the plane, play the game. Then I'll get the plane straight back out and get you back to your bedside'," he added.
Mark Wood IPL teams
Although Mark Wood didn't name anyone while sharing his bitter story, the 36-year-old cricketer has played for just two teams.
He was acquired by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2018 for INR 1.50 crore, but he played just one game for the five-time champions. From 2022 to 2024, he represented the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a whopping price tag of INR 7.50 crore. It is worth noting that he played only 4 games for the franchise in IPL 2023, taking 11 wickets.
Fans are alleging the IPL team owner to be LSG's Sanjev Goenka, but there is no proof behind the allegations.
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