New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Mayank Yadav’s expensive return to action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 after a year-long injury layoff drew sharp criticism online. But former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop has come out strongly in his defence, calling the negative comments for Yadav ‘horrifying’.

Yadav, 23, played his first professional match in 353 days against the Rajasthan Royals at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Yadav had missed most of the last two IPL seasons due to recurring back problems. He had missed the first half of IPL 2025 and managed only two games before another back injury, which needed surgery in New Zealand, sidelined him for nearly a year.

“To see negative comments about Mayank Yadav today is horrifying. The kid nearly lost his career & livelihood at 21yrs. Just to see him play again is huge boost. The fact that he clocked 150kph again is a miracle. At 23yrs just pray for him that he stays fit. The control will come,” Bishop wrote on his ‘X’ account on Thursday.

Yadav bowled with pace, including crossing the 150kph mark, but conceded 20 runs in the final over of the innings, with veteran left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja hitting him for boundaries. The right-arm pacer finished with figures of 0-56 from four overs, the most expensive among his LSG bowling colleagues in the match.

Jadeja tearing into Yadav meant he finished unbeaten on 43 off 29 balls, as RR ended up at 159/6. RR, the inaugural IPL champions, then dished out a disciplined bowling performance to bowl out LSG for 119 in 18 overs to win by 40 runs. LSG will next face three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in Lucknow on Sunday evening.

–IANS

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