Former Indian middle-order batter Hanuma Vihari has reckoned that the star pacer Mayank Yadav needs to move out of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise to excel in the shortest format of the game.
Notably, Mayank scalped two important wickets, conceding 18 runs in the first T20I of the ongoing three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe as he was adjudged the player of the match. India went on to win the game by seven wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari has insisted that LSG has pacers like Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan and Avesh Khan in their pace battery. For the same reason, Mayank got very limited chances in the IPL 2026 season.
“These guys should get more opportunities in the IPL. For example, Mayank Yadav missed out last season because there were also Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan, and Avesh Khan in LSG, so you can miss out. If he moves out of LSG, he will get more chances and can play consistently. But one thing about LSG is that they retained him even if he was not able to play all games, took care of his surgery and have groomed him, so definitely the loyalty factor will be there,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Furthermore, Vihari has also lauded the Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Ashok Sharma, who made his debut in the first T20I against Zimbabwe, bowling with a very good pace.
“The thing with fast bowlers, which is slightly different from batters, is that when you have express pace, selectors notice you. It is very rare to have that quality to bowl that pace. So I am very happy for someone like Ashok Sharma as well. Even if he did not get a wicket on debut, the pace he generated is a good sign,” he added.
“The planning was good. They used Mayank Yadav for three overs in the powerplay, and he bowled well. He was rapid. He showed what he can do if he is fully fit. When he started in the IPL, he would bowl 155, now it is 145, but it’s not like that pace is not enough. What he has improved is his line and length drastically. If he keeps up this level of consistency, he is definitely one for the future. If he maintains that consistency in his line and length with pace, he will be a real threat to any batter, even quality batters will struggle,” he concluded.
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