Lucknow Super Giants look set to unleash their express pacer Mayank Yadav in the high-profile clash against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday. Mayank, who has been sidelined since the start of the season due to an injury, looks ready to be thrown in the mix, as per a social media post by the Lucknow franchise. LSG, who are placed 6th in the points table, are in desperate need of a win in order to resurrect their season. But, they are coming up against Mumbai Indians, a side that has won four matches on the trot.
LSG shared a video, hinting at Mayank Yadav's on-field return. The post read: "Kal dikhega tabadtod andaz", which translates to "Tomorrow, a fierce style will be seen."
Placed fourth and sixth respectively, MI and LSG both have an impressive 10 points in their kitty and are only separated by the net run rate, having won five matches each and lost four in nine games so far.
While these two teams will battle for on-field supremacy at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai's unrelenting heat and humidity will also play its part in testing the players' readiness to give it all in adverse conditions.
For the visitors, a negative NRR of -0.054 is something they would be keen to improve while hoping that their skipper Rishabh Pant is able to get a big score under his belt.
Pant has managed a lowly 106 runs in nine matches so far this season while shuffling across batting positions to discover what works for him, but none of his efforts seem to have worked for the India wicketkeeper-batter.
As Pant grapples with the burden of carrying the highest price tag, the pressure that comes along with it and the immense responsibility of leading a new IPL team, his players have responded well so far.
The challenge, thus, will be greater and a different one for Pant's visiting side since the hosts Mumbai Indians are familiar with the conditions and have been on a roll, having notched up four wins on the trot to move in the top half of the points table.
Mumbai are peaking just at the right time and are firing on all cylinders. The form of mainstays such as Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult and even Hardik Pandya would pose a lot of threat to MI's opponents going forward.
With PTI Inputs