IPL 2025 : Is Mayank Yadav Fit To Play For LSG? Zaheer Khan Provides Huge Injury Update

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IPL 2025 : Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that young speedster Mayank Yadav returns to full fitness before making his comeback.

Mayank, who has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, has been sidelined since suffering an injury ahead of India's T20I series against South Africa in November 2024.

The 21-year-old made headlines during IPL 2024 with his raw pace, consistently breaching the 150 kmph mark and rattling opposition batters. His standout performances against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) earned him consecutive Player of the Match awards. However, frequent injury setbacks limited him to just four appearances in the tournament.

As IPL 2025 approaches, Zaheer emphasized that he remains in constant touch with the NCA medical team regarding Mayank's recovery roadmap. He stressed the importance of handling the young pacer's fitness with utmost care, not just for LSG but for Indian cricket as a whole.

"We have had some interesting conversations around his roadmap to recovery and fitness with NCA, so we're working with them. We hope for their support as well, them buying into the philosophy of really looking after a youngster, because he is not only important for LSG, he is important for Indian cricket as well," he told as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Zaheer also shed light on the long-term vision for Mayank's career, emphasizing that rushing him back could be counterproductive. He explained how the focus remains on developing a structured plan to ensure he can play consistently without frequent injury interruptions.

"You know a bowler of his calibre, to be able to play consistently for the long term, that is where I am trying to put in all my efforts and energy, in terms of giving him the best environment which will really help him play longer without really taking these breaks. I think that is really important and that is the outlook which we have. So as much as we are keen on having him [play IPL 2025], we want him 150 per cent fit, not just 100 per cent fit, so we will do everything possible to get him there," he added.

Following his impressive IPL performances, Mayank received his maiden India call-up for the T20I series against Bangladesh, where he picked up four wickets in three matches. Unfortunately, another injury setback forced him out of the South Africa tour, once again halting his momentum.

Despite his injury troubles, LSG showed immense faith in the young pacer by retaining him for INR 11 crore ahead of IPL 2025. With the ex India pacer overseeing his rehabilitation and workload management, LSG fans will be hoping to see Mayank return stronger and continue to light up the tournament with his express pace.