Mayank Yadav, a pacer for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), made a much-anticipated return to the tournament after a lengthy recovery from injuries. He had a challenging time in IPL 2025, participating in only two matches and taking two wickets at an average of 50, with an economy rate of 12.5. His last professional appearance was for India A in T20 World Cup warm-up games against the USA and Namibia. Ahead of LSG's clash with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, LSG director of cricket Tom Moody confirmed that Mayank was fit, but he did not play in that match. In his match against the Rajasthan Royals, Mayank struggled, yielding 10 runs in his first over and was hit for a six by skipper Riyan Parag. He was replaced temporarily but returned to bowl the 10th over, conceding more runs to Shimron Hetmyer. Mayank, who was bought for ₹11 crore (roughly $1.3 million USD), is expected to be a key player for LSG as they seek to improve their performance.