Image Credit- Getty
Mayank Yadav, the fast bowler for the Lucknow Super Giants, has started bowling in the nets again and is “pretty close” to playing again after missing time due to injury, according to assistant coach S Sriram of LSG.
“He’s bowling today in the nets,” Sriram said on the eve of LSG’s match against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. “So we’ll find out how he pulls up after today, he’s pretty close, so ya hopefully, fingers crossed.”
In LSG’s second match of the season, Mayank made his IPL debut and won Player of the Match after taking three wickets against Punjab Kings. In their subsequent match against RCB, he took three wickets in a row and was declared Player of the Match again, routinely hitting above 150 kph. He did, however, leave the game against the Gujarat Titans after bowling just one over, citing discomfort in his abdomen. Since then, he has missed four games with LSG.
Mayank did not play in any games during the 2022 IPL season, and he was sidelined by a ruptured hamstring in the subsequent edition. Mayank was selected by LSG in the auction beforehand. After reaching speeds of over 155 km/h in his opening two games, he turned eyebrows and raised questions about whether he would be included in India’s T20 World Cup squad.
“I think he’s a pretty grounded person, I’ve just worked with him for the last month or so,” Sriram said. “He seems very mature and he knows his body well, which is very good for a young rookie fast bowler. I think coming from Delhi he has that cricket culture with him. He knows how to look after himself, he has a good cricketing sense in terms of the areas he bowls in, his execution has been very good.
“More than the pace that he’s provided I think his execution and the lengths that he’s hit have been standout for me. The number 155 is a by-product of his rhythm and the run-up speed and the arm speed, but accuracy with which he’s bowled has stood out and for me that is critical.”