Image Credit- BCCI
Mayank Yadav, the speedy player for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), will miss the rest of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). If LSG advances, there’s a remote chance he’ll play in the postseason.
When asked if Mayank was completely out of the tournament, head coach Justin Langer said: “No, we’ll be praying that he can play, hopefully, in the playoffs, but I’m a realist as well. It’ll be probably difficult for him to get up for the back-end of the tournament.
“He’s had a scan. He’s got a small tear in a similar area to where his last one was. So it’s very unfortunate. We saw the impact he had when he came back into the game. But we can all sleep.
“There will always be a lot of discussion about fast bowlers, and I know he spoke to [Jasprit] Bumrah after the game and he reassured him that if he’s going to be a fast bowler, part of his journey as a young fast bowler, he’s going to get injuries.
“So in my experience, every young fast bowler, probably until they get to 25 or 26, is going to experience different injuries. And it’s the most unfortunate. He’s got huge potential. But his rehabilitation was excellent. He went into the game [against MI], had a couple of bowls before the game. He was completely pain free. So it’s very sad for him and it’s disappointing for LSG as well that he might [not] play the rest of the tournament.”
When Mayank, 21, made his LSG debut on March 30, he lit up the tournament. His pace was really astounding teams. He made IPL history by being the first player to win Player-of-the-Match in his first two matches, routinely generating velocities of 155 kph. However, he suffered a setback following combined stats of 6 for 41 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings. Mayank missed the following five games of the season due to abdominal pain, bowling just one over in his third game of the season.
Mayank made his comeback earlier this week, in the win against Mumbai Indians, but had to leave prematurely again. “Looks like he is sore in the same spot,” Langer said at the time.