Ian Bishop came out in support of Mayank Yadav after the Lucknow Super Giants speedster faced online criticism and trolling surrounding his return to competitive cricket, following a long injury absence. The 23-year-old had been sidelined for 353 days due to a back issue, and his comeback match came on Wednesday against the Rajasthan Royals.
Mayank Yadav’s return and the backlash
There were signs that the pace was still intact as Mayank touched the 150 kph mark during his spell. However, the outing turned costly, particularly in the first innings where he conceded 20 runs in the last over. His final figures read 0/56 from four overs, with an economy rate of 14.00—also the highest among Lucknow’s bowlers in the match.
Bishop addressed the criticism on X, arguing that the young pacer deserves patience and time after nearly losing his career during the period he was out of action. He pointed to Mayank’s ability to hit 150 kph again and stressed that fitness and control would come with continued cricket. Bishop’s message was clear: seeing Mayank play once more is a major boost, especially after such a prolonged layoff.
- Mayank Yadav returned to action after a 353-day injury-related break.
- He reached the 150 kph mark, but his spell against Rajasthan Royals proved expensive.
- In Lucknow’s first-innings bowling, he leaked 20 runs in the final over.
- His match figures finished at 0/56 in 4 overs, at an economy of 14.00—the most expensive among his teammates.
The over against Rajasthan and the Royals’ finish
In the decisive final over of the first innings, Mayank was bowling to Ravindra Jadeja, who was on strike with Rajasthan at 139/6. Shubham Dubey stood at the non-striker’s end.
- Mayank began with a slower delivery, and Jadeja drove it through midwicket for a boundary.
- Jadeja then took a double to keep the strike.
- On the third ball, he carved another four—using the back foot to slice a slow ball straight off mid-off.
- On the next two deliveries, Jadeja followed with back-to-back doubles to retain control of the batting.
- On the final ball, Mayank bowled short, and Jadeja pulled it high over deep backward square leg for a six.
Rajasthan Royals eventually ended on 159/6 in their 20 overs, while Shubham Dubey and the rest of the chase-building effort was complemented by Jadeja’s finishing burst. Earlier in the same match, the former CSK player remained unbeaten on 43* off 29 balls.
From a breakthrough to repeated setbacks
Mayank’s early career has carried both huge promise and repeated interruptions. He made a standout debut in 2024, where he clocked 155.8 kph—an outing that naturally raised expectations about his ceiling. In IPL 2024, he took 7 wickets across 4 matches and earned selection for the T20I series against Bangladesh.
During that phase, he collected four wickets in three games at an economy rate of 6.91. Yet injuries have continued to disrupt his momentum. After playing for India, he suffered another problem and then a further back injury, which kept him out of the opening stretch of IPL 2025. In that season, he managed only two appearances before his back issue returned again.
