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Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffered a major setback when Mayank Yadav walked off, failing to bowl his full quota of overs against Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 30.
Earlier Yadav was on the sidelines due to abdominal soreness after playing just three games this season. However, he set the IPL 2024 alight with his back-to-back Player of the Match performances against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He bowled most balls north of 150kph and registered his best at 156.7 kph against Bengaluru.
The 21-year-old returned to play against MI, but could only bowl 3.1 overs, conceding 31 runs and taking a solitary wicket.
Here's what head coach Justin Langer said about the availability of Yadav:
"No, we'll be praying that he can play, hopefully, in the playoffs, but I'm a realist as well. It'll be probably difficult for him to get up for the back-end of the tournament."
Certainly, Yadav's injury woes have put LSG under pressure ahead of some crucial games. On Sunday, they will face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to take another step towards qualification for the playoffs.
However, let's check out a few reasons why the Super Giants need not worry despite the fast bowler's absence.
#1 Experience of Naveen-ul-Haq and Marcus Stoinis
Although Naveen-ul-Haq hasn't featured regularly, the Afghan pacer has used his variations and lengths to good effect. Upon his return to the playing XI against MI, Naveen conceded only 15 runs while dismissing skipper Hardik Pandya. In six games, the 24-year-old has scalped seven wickets at an economy of 8.22.
On the other hand, Marcus Stoinis has been a useful operator with the new ball and can hold his nerves to bowl crucial overs in the death. He has bowled 12 overs and picked up four wickets, while also dismissing Suryakumar Yadav in the last game.
Overall, with these two bowlers, LSG can be assured about their bowling.
#2 Presence of Mohsin Khan
Left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan was a find for LSG last season, after picking up 14 wickets in nine games. In this season as well, Mohsin has been fairly impressive with nine scalps in seven appearances.
Although he was expensive against RR, conceding 52 runs off four overs, he came back strongly to finish with figures of 2/36 against MI. He dismissed key batters like Rohit Sharma and Nehal Wadhera, paving the way for LSG to restrict MI to 144.
With an ability to swing the ball in powerplay overs and contain runs in death, Mohsin can fill the gap left by Mayank Yadav for LSG.
#3 Credible spinners in the squad
The Lucknow-based franchise boasts quality spinners in Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya, who have 11 wickets between them. In particular, Pandya has been superb, bowling at an economy rate of just 7.20.
Moreover, Amit Mishra was also used as an Impact Player by skipper KL Rahul against RR, and managed to dismiss Riyan Parag.
