Mayank’s return to IPL 2025 hasn’t been very impactful so far.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Mayank Yadav has played two matches so far after coming back from injury in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and has mostly been bowling in the mid-130s.
Last season, in IPL 2024, he made headlines for his express pace, often crossing 150kph and even reaching 156.7kph in a match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This year, though, his pace has clearly dropped.
Mayank believes it’s completely normal for his pace to be lower after such a long break from cricket. He explained that since he was out for five to six months due to a serious injury, his body needs time to adjust and return to its previous level.
Speaking before LSG’s important game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he said the drop in speed doesn’t worry him too much. He’s confident that with time and proper recovery, his pace will return. Mayank also mentioned that there has been no change in his bowling action, and he just needs to be patient while his body regains full strength.
“This is normal,” he said ahead of LSG’s crucial league game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Lucknow on Friday. “I had a major injury because of which I was out of cricket for five to six months. The body will adapt and take its own time. I will have to give some time to my body and my bowling to get those speeds back. There have been no changes in my bowling technique.”
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The pacer was one of the five players retained by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of the IPL 2025 auction for INR 11 crore. He had made his India debut against Bangladesh in October last year, but missed a large part of the IPL season after being sidelined for all of 2024-25 domestic cricket due to a back injury. His comeback was delayed further by a toe injury.
Speaking about his approach, Mayank said that he hasn’t made any big changes to his bowling strategy. He still wants to bowl the way he used to. He explained that since he has been away from match pressure for a long time, it’s normal for the body to react differently after a serious injury. His mindset and intent remain the same, but he admitted that he now needs to read the pitch and understand the batters better and quicker during games.
“There is no drastic change in my strategy. I will continue to do what I used to. My body is taking a little time. I have not seen the intensity, [and] the match pressure for a while now. So it is very normal that the body is responding a little differently after a major injury. I don’t have a different mindset or intent. That remains the same. But I need to read the wickets and the batsmen quicker,” he added.
Mayank’s return to IPL 2025 hasn’t been very impactful so far. In his first two games, he took 2 wickets for 40 runs against Mumbai Indians, but went wicketless and gave away 60 runs in the next match against Punjab Kings. He’s been using a lot of slower deliveries and variations, which he says are part of his bowling strategy.
“I have been doing this right from the start, the variations, the slower ones. I didn’t need it last season. The few matches that I played in the main demand was to bowl quick and hard length deliveries. This time the wickets, wherever I have played using variations have been important,” he further added.
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