May 4, 2025 was the last time Mayank Yadav played a competitive match.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have taken a big risk ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. They are opting to retain injury-prone Mayank Yadav. The express point guard had only played 5 competitive matches in the last 12 months. But LSG decided to retain him for INR 11 crores.
Mayank doesn’t have the volume of matches under his belt. Despite making his competitive debut in 2021, the 23-year-old has only made 37 appearances in his career. This includes 6 IPL games for LSG and 3 T20Is for India.
But this risk could well pay off. Mayank had undergone back surgery in June 2025. His estimated recovery time was 6-8 months. Fortunately for LSG, he is on the right track. The speedster is undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bangalore.
Mayank Yadav almost ready for his comeback
His initial return date was placed around the second leg of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, which begins on January 22. Mayank is on schedule for this period. He bowls at 90% intensity. His workload is managed. Currently, he delivers around 18 overs per week.
“Mayank Yadav is progressing well with his rehabilitation and has managed to bowl at 90 percent intensity, with a current workload of 18 overs per week. He has also demonstrated significant improvements in strength and conditioning, allowing him to approach the peak fitness levels required for fast bowling,” a BCCI official told PTI.
Mayank is expected to bowl at full strength in the coming week. Delhi will play Chhattisgarh on January 22, and if all goes well, Mayank could feature for them for the first time since December 2023.
“Over the next few weeks he is expected to progress towards bowling at 100 per cent intensity, alongside the incorporation of high-intensity on-field activities, subject to continued tolerance and monitoring of symptoms.” added the official.
LSG full squad for IPL 2026
Rishabh Pant (c and sem), Nicholas Pooran (sem)✈️, Mitchell Marsh✈️, Aiden Markram✈️, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke✈️, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Ayush Badoni, Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, M Siddharth, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Mohammad Shami (traded), Arjun Tendulkar (traded), Wanindu Hasaranga✈️, Anrich Nortje✈️, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis (week)✈️
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