Lucknow Super Giants’ Mayank Yadav celebrates (PTI Photo/Sailendra Bhojak) Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan made it clear that IPL 2026 could be a defining season for Mayank Yadav and urged the young pacer to justify the faith reposed in him by Lucknow Super Giants. Mayank burst onto the scene in IPL 2024 with raw pace, consistently clocking over 150 kmph, but injuries have hampered his progress ever since. Despite his limited appearances, LSG retained him for ₹11 crore ahead of the 2025 mega-auction, signaling strong support. However, he only played in two games this season. He recently returned to action with two outings for India A during the 2026 T20 World Cup warm-ups and is now fully fit and working under bowling coach Bharat Arun ahead of the new IPL season.
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Impact Player Rule: Game Changer or All-Round Killer? Pathan pointed out that the franchise’s patience now needs to be rewarded. “Mayank Yadav has played six matches in two years, that’s not enough. He’s a maintenance player. He has to be available this year. If there’s no place for him in the team, then it’s a different matter. The franchise backed him. Mohsin Khan missed out completely last year, and even in the seasons before that he didn’t play all the matches. But they were and the franchises didn’t see it, but so many other KKR didn’t play. franchises run out of patience after one or two seasons.” said Pathan on his YouTube channel. On the bowling front, Pathan feels that LSG have considerable depth despite the release of Akash Deep. He highlighted the importance of Mohammed Shami, who is expected to lead the attack. “Their fast bowling is quite strong, they have a lot of options. Shami has played so much domestic cricket, he is in rhythm and he is experienced. Everyone knows that if the conditions are tight, you will get two overs with Shami. He had to play on flat wickets in Hyderabad last year. I think the Lucknow pitch will help him a lot more,” Pathan said,” added Pathan. Shami will be supported by a strong Indian squad that includes Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar and Naman Tiwari. Pathan also reflected on LSG’s journey as a franchise, suggesting that they are still trying to define their identity after four seasons. The team has moved on from stalwarts like KL Rahul, Ravi Bishnoi and Marcus Stoinis while undergoing several changes in coaching staff and branding. “This is a team that is searching for its identity. If you look at Mumbai Indians, you associate them with the greats Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah. Then you associate Chennai with MS Dhoni and RCB with Virat Kohli. In comparison, Lucknow is quite a young team. Gautam Gambhir’s seemed to have left the stamp of LSGhir, since then he is long gone. KKR and is now in the Indian team. This team has great potential,” explained Pathan. The franchise, which made the playoffs in its first two seasons under Rahul before going out in the Eliminator, has struggled ever since, finishing seventh in the last two editions.
