Mayank Yadav is one of the most precocious talents currently going in Indian cricket. A fast bowler capable of approaching 160 kmph with his stock ball and generating the kind of pace that can rush even experienced international players, Yadav’s express pace is something that has excited Indian fans ever since his breakthrough in IPL 2024.
However, the two years following that breakthrough have been extremely frustrating for the seamer, due to a fragile body that has caused incessant injuries and a very stop-start career. Mayank has been away from competitive cricket for nearly a year, only playing two India A games and two IPL 2025 matches in the last 12 months.
However, having been retained for big money by Lucknow Super Giants and receiving plenty of faith from the management and ownership, Yadav is at a stage of his young career where he has already made the decision to prioritise understanding his health, and formulating his game around that.
Speaking to India Today, he delivered good news, and also outlined the roadmap he intends to follow in the near future.
“I am completely fine. I am on track. I don’t have any issue. Let’s see, how fast I can bowl,” said Mayank, in news that will excite Indian fans.
Returning to his best is the key for Mayank
The focus heading into IPL 2026 for Yadav is to be able to recreate the electric pace and performance he was capable of before his lingering back injuries. He explained that while he had been rehabbing and preparing at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, he wasn’t quite at 100% through those sessions.
“I have had a very long lay-off from cricket. I have not been able to play a game for the last 8–9 months. It’s important that I come back with the same intensity and show myself that I can replicate my performances from the past. And yes, there will be a lot of questions following the surgery: ‘whether the old Mayank will return’. So, it’s important for me to return with the same intensity,” explained the Delhi fast bowler.
Mayank Yadav has the potential to belong to the category of elite fast bowlers like Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah who struggled with big injuries early in their career, and had to work hard to redevelop in a way that minimised those risks. He travelled to New Zealand for a back surgery, similar to a younger Bumrah, and was approaching 90% of his intensity while at the CoE early in 2026.
Goal remains a comeback to India setup
He won’t want to sit at the table of what-ifs who lost their best due to fragile bodies – and for that, Yadav intends to do the fundamental things the right way, honing his skill and trusting that to result in a positive stretch for him.
“I can’t pinpoint a particular reason for my injuries. It could be a lot of reasons. My body is probably not mature to take such intensity and impact,” he admitted. “I am doing my best, but I don’t think managing injuries are in my hands. I am focusing on the process. I have never focused on bowling at a high pace; I have always focused on control and contributing to my team.”
Yadav is certainly not all-pace: he has displayed that he has the skill and the control over his bowling to be a viable skill-based bowler. While he was expensive in his brief IPL 2025 stint, an extended period could bring the best out of him.
Of course, that is the big question mark, but that is what Mayank is working towards. The ultimate goal will be to return to the Indian team: he made his debut in T20Is late in 2024, and he wants to return to that conversation.
“Everybody dreams of playing for India. I have already made my debut. But this season is important for me because I want to get back to playing for India,” claimed the fast-bowler, who will be looking to hit the ground running once the IPL begins on March 28.
