Big Relief for LSG! Star Fast Bowler Set to Return Ahead of IPL 2026

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will kick off on March 26, just after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2026. The auction was recently held on December 2025, where all the teams bought their desired players and completed their squads.

One of the franchises, who looked very active during the auction, was Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The Rishabh Pant-led team bought six players during the auction but focused to strengthen their batting lineup. However, the franchise have received a big update regarding their star pacer, Mayank Yadav.

Will Mayank Yadav Play IPL 2026?

Mayank Yadav made headlines during IPL 2024 with his magnificent fast bowling, where he was constantly touching the 150 kph-mark and also ended up making his debut for the Indian cricket team. Soon, he made his reputation for being one of the fastest bowlers in India. However, the star pacer played just two matches in IPL 2025 and was ruled out of the entire season due to a back injury and spent almost a year in recovering.

Mayank Yadav injury concerns have hampered his career a lot in the last few years. But there's finally some good news for LSG and the fans as the star pacer is close to attain his full fitness ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League season. So, there are high chances of him playing in IPL 2026.

“Mayank Yadav is progressing well through his rehabilitation and has successfully achieved bowling at 90 per cent intensity, with a current workload of 18 overs per week. He has also demonstrated significant improvements in strength and conditioning, enabling him to approach the maximal fitness levels required for pace bowling,” a BCCI official told PTI.

How Does LSG Squad for IPL 2026 Looks Like?

LSG have retained their core squad for this season. With players like Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, and many others, they have one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world. However, despite having these big names in the squad, LSG finished seventh in last season's IPL.

Their top order will look same again this time as well with the addition of Josh Inglis. But they've worked more on their pace bowling lineup. With the addition of Mohammed Shami, the LSG fast-bowling lineup looks more lethal. The other pacers in the squad are Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Anrich Nortje, and a few others. Mayank Yadav LSG presence makes their fast bowling in excellent shape.

LSG Squad for IPL 2026

Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (c), Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Arshin Kulkarni, Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Manimaran Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Akash Singh.

Traded in: Mohammed Shami (from SRH), Arjun Tendulkar (from MI).
Players Bought: Josh Inglis, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Anrich Nortje, Wanindu Hasaranga, Naman Tiwari