BCCI Left Red-Faced After 156.7 Kmph Star Gets Ruled Out Of IPL After Injury Resurfaces For 3rd Time

NDTV

15-05-2025

The BCCI Centre of Excellence (erstwhile NCA) was left severely embarrassed after India's fastest bowler Mayank Yadav suffered yet another breakdown as a back injury ruled him out of the remainder of the IPL. "Yadav sustained a back injury and is ruled out for the remainder of the season," the IPL media release stated. New Zealand's William O Rourke will replace him in Lucknow Super Giants for the rest of the tournament. Mayank, who made a comeback after six months of intense rehabilitation under the Sports Science and Medical team at the COE, played two matches and gave away 100 runs in eight overs taking just two wickets. His speed had dropped by at least 15 kmph and from a side-on bowler, he had become a chest-on operator after re-modelling his action.
For the record, Mayank has played nine T20 games between March 30, 2024 and May 4, 2025, which is precisely 13 months and four days.
In these nine games, he played four T20s for Lucknow last year when he burst into the scene hitting speed guns at mid 150 clicks consistently.
However, his first breakdown happened in April that year and he was out for six months before getting fast-tracked by Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir into India's T20I team for the Bangladesh series.
By the time the series ended, his back injury resurfaced and he missed the whole domestic season doing rehabilitation at the NCA and then newly constructed COE.
"Now that Nitin Patel has left, you don't know who should one ask about what exactly has been Mayank's line of rehabilitation. Also the next question that needs to be asked is whether he was prematurely given the fit certificate without ensuring that his back injury could resurface within two games? You can call it COE or whatever but the timeline of Mayank Yadav and Umran Malik 's injury rehab leaves a lot to be desired," a well-known Strength and Conditioning trainer, who had worked at the old NCA told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
While Mayank is only 22 and years of cricket left ahead of him, this constant breakdowns will certainly make the selection committee lose confidence in him after a point.
He has a BCCI pace bowler's contract and has been under the board's aegis for a year now but recurrent injuries might require consultation from overseas specialists with COE completely found wanting.
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