IPL 2025: Mayank Yadav's potential return date revealed
What's the story
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are hopeful of pace sensation Mayank Yadav returning to their squad around April 11 or 12.
The young pacer, who made his debut for India in a T20I series against Bangladesh last year, has been recovering from a lumbar stress injury.
He was rehabilitating at BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and has recently resumed bowling.
Impact
Mayank's return could impact LSG's initial matches
If Mayank re-joins the LSG squad by mid-April, he will miss at least the first seven matches of IPL 2025.
These include high-profile clashes against teams like Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians.
A source close to the situation revealed that Mayank is showing match readiness in the nets and is expected to join soon, as per My Khel.
Trust
LSG's confidence in Mayank despite injury setbacks
Mayank caught everyone's eye during IPL 2024 season with his stellar performances.
He picked three wickets in his debut match against Punjab Kings and was awarded Player of the Match at Chinnaswamy Stadium against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Though a side strain restricted his appearances last season, LSG retained him for ₹11 crore (approx. $1.3 million).
LSG mentor Zaheer Khan stressed they will make Mayank "150% fit" before rejoining the team.
Financial leap
LSG's significant investment in Mayank Yadav
LSG had earlier retained Mayank for ₹11 crore before the mega auction, a huge jump from his previous price of ₹20 lakh before the 2024 season.
The huge amount was mainly because of his ability to bowl consistently at breakneck speeds of over 150kph.
In fact, he bagged Player-of-the-Match awards in his first two IPL matches and was later added by national selectors to the pool of quicks given fast-bowling contracts.