Tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav lit IPL 2024 with his electrifying spells. However, a mid-season injury has ruled him out for several months of cricket action. Here’s all you need to know about the latest updates on the speedster.

Mayank shot to fame with 155-plus kmph thunderbolts on his IPL debut against Punjab Kings earlier this year. Only one Indian – Umran Malik – has been clocked at a faster speed. He finished with 3-27. Of the 24 balls bowled, Mayank breached the 145 kmph mark on 18 occasions.

However, the firebrand pacer’s season was restricted to four matches due to a recurring abdominal injury. But his early burst was enough for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to hand him a pace-bowling contract.

Several former cricketers were all praise for Mayank, including Ian Bishop and Brett Lee, who felt his IPL franchise, Lucknow Super Giants, didn’t handle him well. Mayank suffered a grade 1 tear and had been out of action since his injury. He was not picked for the Duleep trophy and also opted out of the inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League.

Mayank named in Ranji probables

On September 25, the DDCA announced the list of probables for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. Alongwith the inclusions of heavyweights like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, the 80-plus strong list also had Mayank's name in there. There hasn't been any official word on his fitness status, but this is a good sign and he might be expected to be fit by the time the Ranji Trophy starts.

Mhambrey: This is the age where he has to bowl

Paras Mhambrey, India's bowling coach during their T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year, suggested that the board shouldn’t “wrap him up in cotton wool” fearing an injury. Rather, Mayank should be playing more first-class cricket, according to him.

"I don’t agree that if he is not ready, just don’t play him. This is the age where he has to bowl. A bowler should bowl. The more you bowl, the more you will have control, you will know your threshold as to how much your body can take.

"You can’t wrap him up in cotton wool saying he will get injured. We can’t overbowl and burn him out but we have to be smart about how much he should bowl. As a fast bowler, he needs to play first-class cricket," Mhambrey told the Indian Express.

He added: "When you play one season, you understand your bowling. You bowl in different conditions. Physically, you will be tested in different phases of the game. Sometimes, you will have to be on the ground for six sessions. And to be able to bowl with the same intensity in the last session will give you confidence when you play at the international level.

"I strongly feel Mayank needs to grind it out in the domestic season."

Mhambrey opined he is not looking at Mayank as a long-term prospect, but he wanted to see what he could offer in the next few years: "I am not looking at the next 10 or 15 years. I want to see what he can do in the next five. The next three-four years will be extremely crucial for him," Mhambrey stated. "Once he is 25-26, he will understand his body much better. And then he will have a good five years at the international level."

Rehabilitation at the NCA

Mayank was undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru not long back. His mentor and former Delhi Under-19 coach Narender Negi revealed that the bowler has been under the supervision of the NCA trainers and physios.

"He has been given a routine by the physios at the NCA. They are monitoring his body. He has been working on his strength and has been told to develop his leg and back muscles. They are being very careful with Mayank," Negi told Indian Express.

“There is no question about his biomechanics, it is about his physical fitness. His body is not suited for the kind of speeds he generates. But he is a special talent and is being looked after by the BCCI, who don’t want to take any risk with Mayank. You don’t get a bowler who can bowl 150kph-plus every day,” Negi said.

According to Negi, Mayank had been asked "to bowl 12-15 overs every day".

When will Mayank be back?

A Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) official had spoken to the Indian Express a few weeks back, claiming his state association is expecting him to be available for the start of the Ranji Trophy.

"“He has spent every alternate week over the last three months at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He pulled out of the DPL and we don’t know when he will be available, but we are hoping that he will be back to his best before our first Ranji Trophy match," the official told the Indian Express.

As it turns out, Mayank's rehab journey seems to be progressing as expected, given his inclusion in the probables list for the Ranji Trophy.

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