Ahead of their IPL 2026 opener against Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer shared a positive update on young pacers Mayank Yadav and Naman Tiwari, saying both are fit and ready to play.
LSG will start their campaign on Wednesday at the Ekana Stadium. The team has a strong pace attack, led by experienced names like Mohammed Shami, along with young and upcoming bowlers such as Mayank, Naman, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav and Arjun Tendulkar.
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Speaking about Mayank and Naman, Langer said, "Yeah, they are both fit. They are both very exciting prospects. And they have got huge futures."
Mayank Yadav's IPL career
Mayank has been one of the fastest speedsters to bowl in the cash-rich league. He made a strong impact in IPL 2024 with his pace and control, regularly bowling at speeds close to 150 km/h. However, injuries have slowed down his progress in both the IPL and international cricket.
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So far, Mayank has played six IPL matches for LSG across two seasons and picked up nine wickets at an average of 20.55, with best figures of 3/14. He has also represented India in three T20Is, taking four wickets. In IPL 2025, he played only two matches before getting injured again and missing the rest of the season. Recently, he returned to action with India A in warm-up matches ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Naman's career
Naman also made a mark during the 2024 ICC Under-19 World Cup, where India finished as runners-up. He picked up 12 wickets in six matches at an average of 19.83, including two four-wicket hauls. His last competitive matches came in the UPT20 League 2024, where he took four wickets in six games. He is yet to make his senior debut.
Talking about the team’s pace options, Langer said, "The beautiful thing that we have got for this tournament, which we have not had in the past, is we have not only those two young bowlers, but we also have Mohsin Khan, we have Avesh Khan, we have got Mohammed Shami, we have got Akash Singh, we have got Anrich Nortje from South Africa, who else have I missed, we have got Arjun Tendulkar, we have got all these guys who are fit. So we have to work out tomorrow which players are going to fit the puzzle to play on this red soil wicket."