LSG had retained Mayank Yadav for Rs 11 crore, nonetheless after a excessive drop in his tempo and one fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully fully completely completely completely completely fully completely completely fully fully completely completely fully completely fully completely totally different harm, they’ve determined to maneuver on from the speedster.
Mayank Yadav’s career continues to be a stop-and-start one. He comes running in to bowl, and sooner or later, he manages to injure himself. In the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Mayank lasted 73 balls. This time around, it’s just 48. We still don’t know what exactly happened to him. Is it another back injury, or is it something else?
What we do know is that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) might be the ones to blame. Out of action since mid-October last, Mayank was sent to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in mid-April. They benched him for a couple of matches, before throwing him in.
BCCI’s CoE to blame?
And in the 2 matches he played, you could see a significant drop in Mayank’s pace. He touched 156 a few times last IPL; this time, he didn’t even bowl over 145 once. So what happened? It turns out that Mayank was approved as ‘fit’ without being fully tested.
“For a bowler who had such a long absence from the game, it’s surprising that it took the CoE just 10-12 sessions to give him a green signal. One-third of those sessions were at a reduced intensity, and he started bowling at 80-85% only towards the end of March,” a source told Times of India.
Head of Sports Science at CoE, Nitin Patel, had left the role in March. He was the one overseeing Mayank’s rehabilitation. Dhananjay Kaushik, the current lead physiotherapist, took over. And it seems like Mayank wasn’t ready for competitive cricket. Yet, he was given a green signal.
“You get a true picture only when you operate at full tilt and then take enough time to assess how the body is responding to the increased workload. That workload is gradually increased to observe and assess how the body is reacting to different levels of intensity. With Mayank, it looked like mere boxes were ticked,” the source added.
Mayank’s action, which might be the main reason behind his injuries, hasn’t been tweaked yet either. Front-on bowlers who bowl express pace, like Shane Bond, are prone to back injuries. But it seems despite spending 6 months at CoE, this aspect of Mayank’s game hasn’t been worked upon.
“It is baffling why his action isn’t addressed yet. His body continues to fall towards the side after landing, and that impact will continue to add stress to his back. It is like a car running at 150 kmph and taking a sudden left turn. The pace which he generates is because of the natural gift of the hyperextension of the elbow of the bowling arm. Action needs to be addressed, and he needs a proper rehabilitation plan which should have no interference from anyone – franchise, state team or anyone,” the source said.
LSG to release Mayank Yadav
LSG soon discovered that Mayank still had swelling in his back and wasn’t bowling at full intensity in the nets. This explains why he wasn’t given a game when he joined them. They were perplexed by his speed dip. This forced Mayank to change his style of bowling. He started bowling many more variations than before. And the results, 100 runs in 8 overs with 1 wicket, weren’t great.
All of this seems to have forced LSG’s hand. They aren’t having the greatest of seasons, and one of their retentions has played 2 matches. The bigger worry is his future. Can they continue retaining him for years without much in return? It seems unlikely. They don’t even know whether he’ll be fit next time around. So they’ll release him before the IPL 2026 auction.
“There was a discussion at LSG about this. Mayank was asked about his drop in pace and non-match days activities. He told them that he is giving his best but not able to go beyond, and for the non-match day workload, he informed them about his routine, which has been going on since the rehab at the CoE. The timing of the decision and the discussions during that meeting made it clear that they had lost trust in him and are unlikely to retain him for the next edition,” the source concluded.
Editor’s Pick
BCCI CoE accountable for Mayank Yadav’s harm, LSG unlikely to retain speedster after IPL 2025
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