He won Player of the Match in two of his first three games of IPL, consistently bowling at 150kph-plus.
Mayank Yadav’s fitness is an area of major focus for Lucknow Super Giants, who are closely working with the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru on his recovery plan. Coach Justin Langer and mentor Zaheer Khan are hopeful but cautious that he does not get rushed back.
Mayank had a tough season in 2024 with multiple injuries although giving glimpses of brilliance. He won Player of the Match in two of his first three games of IPL, consistently bowling at 150kph-plus. However, an abdominal injury ruled him out of the tournament. After recovering at the NCA, he suffered another injury while bowling there.
In October, he got his first India call-up for the T20I series against Bangladesh, where he again proved his worth by bowling at good pace and took four wickets. He got injured again, and since then, he hasn’t played a single match. Still, LSG retained him for IPL 2025 for INR 11 crore.
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Lucknow Super Giants have discussed Mayank Yadav’s recovery and fitness plan with the NCA, according to Zaheer Khan. He added that the young pacer should be handled with care not only for LSG but also for Indian cricket and hopes that the NCA will fully support him in the process.
“We’ve had some interesting conversations around his roadmap to recovery and fitness with NCA, so we’re working with them,” Zaheer told reporters in Lucknow on Tuesday. “We hope for their support as well, them buying into the philosophy of really looking after a youngster, because he’s not only important for LSG, he’s important for Indian cricket as well.”
Zaheer Khan emphasized that Mayank Yadav should be made fit for the long term rather than being brought back in a hurry. He pointed out that the idea is to create the best environment for the young pacer so that he does not suffer from frequent injury breaks. While LSG is keen on his participation in IPL 2025, they want him to be fully fit before making a comeback.
“You know a bowler of his calibre, to be able to play consistently for the long term, that’s where I’m trying to put in all my efforts and energy, in terms of giving him the best environment which will really help him play longer without really taking these breaks. I think that’s really important and that’s the outlook which we have. “So as much as we are keen on having him [play IPL 2025], we want him 150% fit not just 100% fit so we’ll do everything possible to get him there,” Zaheer added.
Justin Langer believes that young fast bowlers like Mayank Yadav need time for their body to get accustomed and handle the injuries. He pointed out how extreme Mayank’s pace was and how tough it is to sustain that every day. Although LSG looks forward to him returning, they know that it will take him time to settle, and they will monitor him before taking any decision.
“We know how exciting he is, we watched that last year… Some of that pace last year was extreme pace, so we’re very hopeful but he’s a young fast bowler, and it doesn’t matter what country you’re from, it’s a hard business being able to bowl that pace, and with a young body, it’s going to take some time to develop. So we’re hopeful and positive, but we’ll wait and see how things progress over the next little piece.”
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