LSG Mentor Breaks Silence On Mayank Yadav’s Availability For IPL 2025

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan has revealed the fitness availability of the speedster Mayank Yadav ahead of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The young fast bowler was not considered for the recently concluded five-match T20I series for the national side at home against England or the domestic fixtures of Delhi as he suffered a huge setback on his road to recovery.

Mayank Yadav’s breakthrough season

The LSG pacer’s last comparative game came against Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. He picked up two wickets in his bag of two more scalps that he enjoyed in the previous two encounters in Delhi and Gwalior.

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The breakthrough season for the 22-year-old was during the previous edition of the IPL when he picked up seven wickets in just four innings at an average of 12.14 and a strike rate of 10.4. His incredible and hostile spell of bowling with figures of 3/14 in an inning at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru caught the eyes of the selectors.

One of his best skills is to bowl with extreme pace at the batter, making it uncomfortable for them. His impressive three outings for India against Bangladesh led to the LSG retaining him ahead of the mega auction for a price of INR 11 crore. But since then, he has vanished from the screens after completing the rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Zaheer Khan reveals Mayank Yadav’s fitness status

LSG’s mentor, Zaheen Khan, stated that the franchise are in communication with the NCA. Their ultimate aim would be to get the player back to full fitness before their opening clash of the 20-over league.

“We’ve had some interesting conversations on his roadmap to recovery and fitness with the NCA. We are working with them and hope for their support. He is not only important for LSG but also Indian cricket.” India’s former left-arm pacer, Zaheer Khan, expressed this during a recent interaction with the Times of India (TOI).

Mayank missed their four-match T20I series trip to South Africa and the recent England series. Concerns have grown as he was absent from Delhi’s white-ball domestic games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2024-25.

“A bowler of his caliber should play consistently for a long time. I’m putting in effort and energy to give him the best environment to play longer. We want him 150% fit, so we will do everything possible to get him in top fitness.” he added.

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The Delhi-born was one of the five players retained by the LSG after the 2024 season. He wasn’t considered under the uncapped category as he made his national debut just before the retention deadline set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

LSG is concerned with Mitchell Marsh’s fitness

The pacer was the joint second-leading retention for the LSG side with Ravi Bishnoi, as Nicholas Pooran was the most expensive retention for a price of INR 21 crore.

The franchise is also concerned with the fitness of their Australian all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh.

The Perth-born will miss the Champions Trophy 2025 and is unlikely to play any part in the remainder of the domestic season. The team's biggest buy for a price of INR 27 crore, Rishabh Pant, has already been declared their new captain of the 2025 season.