KOLKATA: An amount of Rs 11 cr will sound princely for a 22-year old who spends perhaps as much time in the sick bay as on the field. However, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owners never had a doubt that they wanted to hold on to their express bowler Mayank Yadav at any cost.
“The way you look at it, when a player is playing a match, is he able to contribute to a win?” LSG co-owner Shashwat Goenka asked TOI while explaining the rationale behind naming the pacer as one of their five retentions. “I think Mayank fits that bill perfectly. He has played in four games last season and picked up seven wickets. That itself shows the potential of the individual.”
Mayank in fact, has been with LSG since 2022. He did not get to play that season and had to sit out in 2023 with a torn hamstring. He made his debut in 2024 and instantly caught the attention with his pace, consistently going over the 150kph mark.
With 3/27 (against PBKS) and 3/14 (against RCB), Mayank became the first player in IPL history to be named Player of the Match in his first two matches.
“If you look at other players with similar background, when they first started off they were injury-prone as well and they had to work on their fitness, if I can put it that way,” Goenka went on. “So that wasn’t the deciding factor, it was about when he plays, what is the contribution he makes to the game and to LSG. That was the guiding principle behind keeping him.”
IPL has been tough on bowlers, going by last season’s scores. Goenka, however, isn’t worried that their young pacers might wilt under pressure. “These guys really know how not to be tossed around,” the owner said, giving examples of Mayank and Mohsin Khan‘s performance in the death overs.
BREAKING & LIVE : #IPL 2025 Final Retentions @ 5.30pm
