Rishabh Pant heaves sigh of relief as India star joins LSG camp, available for selection for MI game

Apr 03, 2025 11:56 PM IST

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Akash Deep picked up a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia and has not been in action since December 2024.

Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant heaved a huge sigh of relief after India star Akash Deep joined the franchise on Wednesday night and will be available for selection for their next game in the ongoing IPL 2025, where they will play against Mumbai Indians on Friday. The match will be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

LSG will face MI on Friday in Lucknow(REUTERS)

Akash picked up a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia and has not been in action since December 2024. He also has yet to play a T20 game since the previous IPL season, when he featured in just one match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Overall, he played just eight games for the franchise since 2022, picking up seven wickets, before being released ahead of the auction last season. LSG roped him in for INR 8 crores.

Having recovered from a back injury, for which he underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, Akash joined the LSG squad on Wednesday.

Akash's inclusion will come as a major boost for Lucknow, who have been plagued with injuries. Earlier, fast bowler Mohsin Khan was ruled out of the entire IPL 2025 season after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) last December and hence Shardul Thakur was picked as his replacement, while Mayank Yadav, who burst into fame the previous season with his raw pace and wicket-taking abilities, will only be available in the fag end of the season.

LSG has so far won just one of their three games this season. They head into the match against Mumbai on the back of a defeat against Punjab Kings in their first home game this season on Tuesday.

Akash's return is also a major boost for the Indian team, who have a long tour of England ahead of them, especially amid the uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah, who is still recovering from a back injury sustained during the Australia Test series. After the IPL 2025, India will travel to England for a five-Test series between June and July.

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