Hodge joined Lancashire in 2004 (Getty)

Captain Stuart Law believes Lancashire are more than capable of coping with the loss of batsman Brad Hodge, who has joined the Indian Premier League.

Hodge has signed a five-week contract with Kolkata Knight Riders, and Law feels it could give one of the squad players a chance to shine.

"He may have left the team but we're certainly not in bad shape," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"He's given an opportunity for someone to take that position."

I would like to see him give Lancashire six months of his life Stuart Law

Hodge is one of the most exciting players in Twenty20 cricket and has previously captained Leicestershire to success in the 2003 competition.

But Law admits his focus remains with the current squad of players at Old Trafford.

"We've got a lot of great players in our squad who can fill that gap. He's created a great opportunity, that's the positive you can take out of his decision to join IPL," added Law.

"Hopefully he'll come back fit and strong and batting really well. But I would like to see him give Lancashire six months of his life.

"Starting and stopping the season makes it a bit disjointed because it can ruin a team's momentum. But hopefully we're big enough to get over that and get on with the game," he said.