New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) Tearaway fast bowler Mayank Yadav is likely to begin his long rehab in the coming weeks at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru following a successful surgery to solve his back issues in Christchurch, New Zealand.

IANS had reported on June 2 that Dr. Rowan Schouten, a renowned orthopaedic spine surgeon based in Christchurch, was to operate on Mayank, who was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 due to a back injury resurfacing again.

“Yes, Mayank came back to India last week after undergoing surgery in New Zealand. The surgery led by Dr Schouten was done on L5 vertebra – both left and right sides. Once the basic healing phase is over, Mayank is expected to start his extensive rehab in the coming weeks at the CoE. As of now, no timelines are set on his recovery and rehab as there will be no rush in his case,” sources aware of the development told IANS on Friday.

Schouten had previously operated on India fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna to solve their back-related issues in 2023, apart from leading similar surgeries for Australian pacers Jason Behrendorff and James Pattinson.

Last year, Schouten, along with surgeon Grahame Inglis, had operated on Australia all-rounder Cameron Green, after he suffered a stress fracture in the lower back. Injuries have troubled New Delhi-based Mayank since clocking 150 kmph speeds and picking Player of the Match awards in his first two IPL 2024 games for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Following a side injury restricting his IPL 2024 stint to four games, Mayank underwent rehab at the CoE (then called National Cricket Academy) before making his India debut in the three T20Is against Bangladesh in October 2024. But after that, Mayank was ruled out of the 2024/25 domestic season due to a stress issue in his back.

His return to IPL 2025 for LSG, who retained him ahead of last year’s mega auction, was further set back due to an infection in his toe after kicking his bed. After joining the LSG camp on April 16, Mayank played just two matches against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), where his pace was way slower, as compared to the lofty speeds he clocked in 2024, apart from relying on slower balls and their variations.

Following IPL 2025’s resumption after a ten-day pause due to cross-border tension between India and Pakistan, Mayank was ruled out of LSG’s campaign due to the back injury resurfacing again, with the franchise then roping in New Zealand pacer Will O’Rourke as his replacement.

“As of now, everything looks promising as Mayank is not feeling any pain in his back, something which used to bother him before. There is a hope now that Mayank will be gradually back on the field if recovery and long rehab go well, as per the plan chalked out by the CoE medical team,” further said the sources.

–IANS

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