Mayank’s electric speeds during the early part of IPL 2024 – where he won two Player-of-the-Match awards in the four matches he played – created a buzz around him. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler bowled only one over in his third game of the season before walking off with pain in his abdomen. He was soon ruled out of the IPL with a side injury. While he recovered from that injury, he picked up a separate injury while bowling in the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

On the whole, India have named a fresh-looking squad of 15 for the three T20Is, which will be played between the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh and the Test series against New Zealand that starts on October 16. Given their workload, players part of India’s Test squad, such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj – who were all part of India’s most recent T20I assignment in Sri Lanka – have been rested.

No vice-captain has been named in the squad, which will be led by full-time T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav. Other regulars in the squad include Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh.

Arshdeep, Rana and Mayank will make up the seam options alongside allrounders Hardik, Dube and Reddy, while Bishnoi, Varun and Washington are the main spin options with Abhishek and Riyan Parag as part-time options. Abhishek is the only regular opening batter in the squad, which leaves Samson as his likely opening partner.

The three T20Is will be played in Gwalior, Delhi and Hyderabad on October 6, 9 and 12 respectively.

India T20I squad for Bangladesh series

Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav