Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Former West Indies fast bowler and commentator Ian Bishop has come to the defence of fellow speedster Mayank Yadav following a wave of negative social media comments regarding his expensive return to the Indian Premier League. Bishop described the criticism as ‘horrifying’ and expressed his hope that the pacer remains fit for the remainder of the tournament.
Yadav conceded 56 runs in his four overs without taking a wicket in a relatively low-scoring encounter between the Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium. RR went on to win the game by 40 runs, further denting LSG’s play-off hopes.
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“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 a 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 posted on his social media account.
The post comes in response to the consistent trolling of the fast bowler over his injury setbacks. The 23-year-old has been dealing with a severe lower-back stress fracture, which sidelined him for most of the previous Indian Premier League season and the initial part of the current campaign.
“Stop exaggerating concerns raised around Mayank Yadav’s persistent injuries. The guy has already made a million dollars while being injured. He also pursued a career in commentary like recently retired IPL players are doing. No need to get emotional over well-meaning criticism,” one user replied to Bishop’s post on X.
Prior to Wednesday’s game against RR, his first in 353 days, Mayank last featured for the Lucknow franchise in May 2025 against the Punjab Kings, where he went wicketless while conceding 60 runs in his four overs. The New Delhi-born bowler played only two matches last season, picking up two wickets against the Mumbai Indians before being sidelined again due to injury.
The 156.7 kmph speedster initially grabbed the spotlight following a sensational debut in IPL 2024 but has since struggled with injuries after pushing his body to the limit. The rustiness of a long absence from high-level competition was evident as he proved expensive against RR.
However, the silver lining was Mayank’s sustained pace, as he touched 149 kmph multiple times during his spell. While it took until his final over to breach the 151 kmph mark, he successfully did so. More importantly, he appeared to reach those speeds without having to exert excessive effort in his delivery stride.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
