Mayank Yadav (Source -IPL/BCCI)
Ace pacer Mayank Yadav burst onto the scenes during IPL 2024. He made his debut against Punjab Kings and picked up a three-wicket haul for 27 runs in his four overs. However, more than the wickets, it was his pace that got everyone talking. The speedster was clicking the 150 kmph-mark plus regularly and was soon deemed as India’s next bowling star. So much so, that many cricket experts even asked the Indian team management to consider him for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
However, the Delhi-born cricketer was ruled out of IPL 2024 after only four matches. He reported at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru soon after that and spent almost six months there to regain full fitness. He returned to professional cricket in the series against Bangladesh and played two matches, picked up three wickets, and was out injured again. And it’s once again unclear when Mayank will return.
Despite his fitness concerns, Lucknow Super Giants retained the pacer for INR 11 crore. He was their third-choice retention as the plan is to build the entire bowling attack around Mayank. Meanwhile, addressing the reason behind such risky retention, co-owner Shashwat Goenka explained that his injury concerns weren’t the deciding factor, but rather what he brings to the table.
“The way you look at it, when a player is playing a match, is he able to contribute to a win? I think Mayank fits that bill perfectly. He played in four games last season and picked up seven wickets. That itself shows the potential of the individual. If you look at other players with similar backgrounds, when they first started off, they were injury-prone as well, and they had to work on their fitness, if I can put it that way,” Goenka told The Times of India.
“So that (injury) wasn’t the deciding factor; it was about when he plays, what is the contribution he makes to the game and to LSG. That was the guiding principle behind keeping him,” he added.