Mohammed Shami (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
NEW DELHI: In a bold move, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are likely to retain young fast bowler Mayank Yadav and buy India’s out-of-favour pacer Mohammed Shami from Sunrisers Hyderabad. The deadline for announcing the retentions for next year’s IPL is on Saturday. Retaining pace sensation Mayank Yadav is a major leap of faith since the speedster has been struggling with injuries and is currently undergoing rehab after a major surgery on his back in June. Mayank was retained last year for Rs 11 crores.LSG have invested heavily in Mayank for the last four years. Sources close to the development say that the franchise didn’t want to let go of the 23-year-old when he was going through bad time so early in his career. Mayank burst on to the scene in IPL 2024 when he consistently bowled above 150 kmph before getting injured after three games. The national selectors also handed him T20I cap against Bangladesh last Oct. “Mayank is seen as a generational talent. The franchise has groomed him and now that he is going through a rough patch, retaining him can give him more confidence. His recovery is on track. He has already resumed bowling fromOct end. He is likely to be fit for competitive cricket by the first week of Jan,” a BCCI source told TOI. As for Shami, TOI understands the franchise is trying to add as much experience to its bowling as possible. If the deal is finalised, it could be an all-cash deal worth approximately Rs 10 crore. LSG’s pace bowling resources were badly exposed last season. With former India bowling coach Bharat Arun in the ranks, the franchise hopes to rebuild its fast-bowling resources around Shami. One can’t expect too many good fast-bowling options at the mini-auction to be held in mid-Dec. Bishnoi, Miller likely to be released TOI has also learnt that LSG are likely to release wrist-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and David Miller. Bishnoi endured two consecutive bad IPL seasons. His bowling has lacked penetration besides leaking runs at a high economy rate. David Miller too is likely to be released into the auction pool after he struggled to get going at the franchise last season. Unlike last season, one may expect captain Rishabh Pant to bat up the order.
