Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have been hit hard before their IPL 2025 match against Delhi Capitals (DC), with pacer Mayank Yadav injury comeback being further pushed back as he has suffered a fresh toe injury.
Yadav, who was recovering from a back injury earlier, now has the added problem. Yet, LSG’s head coach Justin Langer hopes that the pacer will be available for the latter part of the tournament.
This blow is well-timed, though not very welcome, for LSG, who will be appearing in their inaugural game without four of their leading Indian fast bowlers, among whom are Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, and Akash Deep. All these are currently out with different injuries, and the team has massive holes in their fast-bowling unit.
LSG’s Fast-Bowling Crisis: Missing Key Players for IPL 2025 Opener
Justin Langer acknowledged the situation and expressed confidence in the team’s ability to adapt.
“We’re very aware that four of our bowlers are unavailable for the first game and probably a couple of the guys for a few games down the track,” Langer said ahead of LSG’s opener in Vizag. Despite the injuries, Langer emphasized that fast-bowling injuries are a common challenge in cricket, and LSG would need to adjust their strategy accordingly.
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Langer further said, “That’s a sport, that’s cricket, fast bowling tends to give you some headaches but you just have to adjust. We’ve all been around long enough to understand that fast-bowling injuries are one thing that you always have to prepare for. You never want it but you prepare for it.”
Mayank Yadav Injury: Blow for Rising Star
Mayank Yadav, the fast bowler from Delhi who was signed by LSG last year, had initially shown great promise with his high speeds, touching 150 kph.
In his first two IPL appearances in 2024, he earned Player-of-the-Match honors. However, his journey has been interrupted by injuries, with his back injury delaying his return.
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Langer gave an update on Yadav’s current situation: “Mayank, who everybody was so keen on last year, was doing very well, recovering from a back injury, but he kicked his toe on the bed.
He developed an infection in his toe, which has set his rehab back by about one or two weeks.” Despite this mishap, Langer reported that Yadav has picked up bowling again, and videos of him bowling are heartening. We hope that by the latter part of the tournament, Mayank will be available for us,” Langer said.
LSG’s Fast-Bowling Depth Impacted by Other Injuries
Mayank Yadav is not the lone missing fast bowler from the LSG team. Mohsin Khan, another of LSG’s retained bowlers, has already been out for the season with a calf injury picked up while in rehab. His absence has necessitated the addition of Shardul Thakur as a replacement. Avesh Khan and Akash Deep, however, are still hopeful of making speedy returns, both of them suffering from niggling injuries.
Langer provided an update on their situation: “We believe Avesh Khan will clear his availability to play tomorrow morning via the NCA. If that’s the situation, he’ll be back sooner than later. Akash Deep is going strong, bowling at around 90% now. He’s completed his yo-yo test, so he’s ticking all the boxes.”
Rishabh Pant’s First Game as LSG Captain
Apart from the injury issues, LSG also begins the IPL 2025 season with Rishabh Pant at the helm as the new captain, whom they acquired for a record INR 27 crore in the mega auction held in December. Pant’s first game as the new captain will be against his previous team, Delhi Capitals, giving the encounter an interesting twist.
LSG’s Injury Woes and Hope for the Future
Though Mayank Yadav’s recovery from injury has been halted by a toe problem, Lucknow Super Giants will have to adjust rapidly to these setbacks in their IPL 2025 season opener.
With four of their best fast bowlers out, LSG’s depth and strategy will be put to the test early this season. Yet, there is still hope that the likes of Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, and Akash Deep will return to competition in due time, offering the team much-needed bowling resources as the tournament moves along.
Despite these misfortunes, LSG’s rostering of veterans such as Rishabh Pant as captain and the availability of backups such as Shardul Thakur means that the team is not short on resources to fight in IPL 2025. The pace bowler depth may be shallow at the beginning, but the return of injured stars would shore up LSG’s bowling as they go through the season.
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