Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul on Tuesday said that during the match the star pacer Mayank Yadav suffered a strain in his side after the first ball and he felt it would be best to “not risk him” for the next five balls as a precaution. The express speed bowler Mayank had another injury scare during the 2024 Indian Premier League when he left the field after bowling an incomplete fourth over against the Mumbai Indians. He ended his night after taking 1 for 31 in 3.1 overs.
Marcus Stoinis once again rescued a win as Lucknow Super Giants emerged triumphant with a four-wicket win against Mumbai Indians at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. LSG struggled in the opening and suffered a middle-order collapse, but Stoinis played an influential knock, which ensured that the hosts walked out victorious.
Following the match, Rahul stated that he felt it would be best to “not risk him” for the next five balls as a precaution when Mayank approached him following the first ball of his fourth over to express his discomfort in his side.
“I have not really spoken to him. He had slight pain in his side and after the first ball, he said that there was a bit of pain. Thought there was no need to risk it, he is still a young lad. It is not just the pace. In this game, he showed he has more skills than bowling 150-plus. The more he plays, the more he will learn when to bowl what. Right now, we have given him a free hand to just enjoy himself and bowl what he wants,” Rahul said in a post-match presentation.
“We still had batters in the middle. An experienced batter in Pooran and KP is seasoned as well. Was a bit dry. 165-170 would have made it a competitive game. It takes time to adjust to this wicket. Our bowlers did well and put pressure on them. Always happy when you get those two points. We need to gain momentum in the back end of the tournament and the momentum helps,” he added.
Having come on after the powerplay, Mayank began his day with a bang, hitting Nehal Wadhera in the helmet with his first delivery at 144.1kmh after taking off from a short distance.
Later in the over, he exceeded 150 kmh as well, but he bowled mostly between 140 and 147 kmh, pitching the majority of his deliveries in the short or short-of-good-length zone.
This marked LSG’s sixth win at home and helped them move to the third spot with 12 points in 10 matches.
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