Every IPL season creates the same challenge for overseas stars: only four can make the playing XI, while the rest must wait on the sidelines. With eight overseas slots available in each squad, a handful of quality international players often spend long stretches in India without getting a game. For those in winning teams, the wait becomes even tougher because there is little reason to disturb a settled combination.
Gujarat Titans left-arm pacer Luke Wood finds himself in exactly that situation this season. Bought for ₹75 lakh, Wood has stayed patient despite knowing how difficult it would be to break into a pace attack stacked with Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Ashok Sharma. It is the kind of challenge that tests temperament as much as skill.
“I think it’s just a case of biding your time a little bit,” Luke Wood told News18 CricketNext on Saturday. “We’ve got a pretty high-quality bowling lineup as it is. And there are plenty of good fast bowlers on the bench – me, Jason Holder, Ishant Sharma, for example. So I think you just have to bide your time. You’ve got to train like you’re preparing to play, get what you need to feel ready for when that chance comes.”
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“If and when it comes, you can’t put a definite on that. You just have to train hard, stay patient, bide your time, and also enjoy the team’s success. You can’t sit and mope around because you’re not playing. It is what it is. Not everyone in the squad can get out on the cricket field,” he added.
For Wood, the bigger picture matters more than the frustration of sitting out. Gujarat Titans have won three matches in a row after a slightly shaky start, and he has enjoyed watching a bowling unit grow stronger with each game.
Gujarat Titans’ Luke Wood accepts limited IPL chances, praises the team’s varied pace attack and credits coach Ashish Nehra for guidance on Indian conditions! https://t.co/JAylz99p8K
— News18 CricketNext (@cricketnext) April 19, 2026
“That’s one of the major strengths of our bowling lineup – we’ve got a lot of variety,” he said. “Even though you have three or four right-arm seamers, they’re all very different. One can bowl mid-150s. You’ve got KG, who’s done what he’s done for years – bowls that heavy, good length and makes it hard for batters. Then you’ve got Mohammed Siraj, who swings the ball. And Prasidh — I don’t know if you saw him at the death yesterday, he was unbelievable. I was thinking that the 19th over was top class.”
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“So you can see throughout the whole bowling lineup that everyone’s kind of different. If it’s not someone’s day, the next person takes that responsibility. I think we’ve actually got better and better as a bowling group each game. And you’re not even including Rashid Khan in that so far. So it’s a pretty strong bowling lineup. From the sidelines, it’s pretty good to watch at times,” Wood added.
The Titans’ depth means Wood may not get many chances soon, but he has found value in learning from head coach Ashish Nehra. Having not played much cricket in India before, Wood says Nehra has helped him understand local conditions, especially the difference between red-soil and black-soil pitches. For a left-arm seamer trying to make his mark in IPL 2026, that kind of guidance could prove just as important as a spot in the XI.
