April 5, 2025: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer has confirmed that tearaway fast bowler Mayank Yadav is on the verge of making a comeback to the playing XI after recovering from an injury. The 26-year-old pacer, who has been sidelined since October 2024 due to a lumbar stress injury during India’s T20I series against Bangladesh, has been working hard at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru (previously known as the National Cricket Academy).
Langer revealed that Mayank is currently bowling at around 90 to 95 percent of his full capacity, offering a much-needed boost to LSG’s pace attack. The pacer’s return comes at a crucial time for the team, which has managed two wins in their first four games of IPL 2025 but is currently dealing with a depleted bowling line-up.
Langer expressed his excitement about Mayank’s progress, sharing details from a recent video of the bowler’s session. “What I do know is he’s working very hard at the NCA, and I saw some video of him bowling yesterday [Thursday], and he was bowling at about 90 to 95 percent,” Langer said during the post-match press conference. “So Mayank’s up and running, which is really great for Indian cricket, for IPL. We saw the impact he had last year. I don’t think there’s been a bowler in India who’s bowled faster than Mayank Yadav. That’s why there’s so much talk about him.”
The Australian also expressed his gratitude to the NCA for the rehabilitation efforts, mentioning the successful recoveries of other LSG players like Avesh Khan and Akash Deep. “I think you have another couple of bowls and hopefully… NCA, to their credit, have obviously done a very good job because they’ve got Avesh Khan back for us, they’ve got our Akash Deep back for us,” Langer added.
Mayank’s return will be a game-changer for LSG, providing them with the extra firepower in the bowling department. The pace attack has been crucial in LSG’s recent success, including their narrow 12-run victory over Mumbai Indians in a thrilling IPL 2025 encounter. With Mayank back on track, the Super Giants will be hopeful of further strengthening their pace arsenal in the coming matches.