In the world of cricket, excitement is created by genuine velocity. Thus, the world took note when Mayank Yadav made one of the most spectacular IPL debuts in history. The Punjab Kings had accelerated to 88/0 after nine overs when the breakaway pacer was called into the attack. The Lucknow Super Giants were in serious trouble as Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow were dominating the run chase.
Mayank scored ten runs in his opening over, including two boundaries, but what was most apparent right away was his incredible speed—he was hitting well over 145 kph and even approaching 150 kph. The 21-year-old proceeded to take a wicket in each of his next three overs, including the significant removal of Bairstow, who was outpaced on the pull shot. On his debut, nerves are unavoidable, but Mayank felt that he was not psychologically affected by the enormous stage.
At the press conference following the game, Mayank stated, “I had been visualizing my debut for the last year and a half.” “What kind of ball I would have and how I would handle myself in front of such large crowds. I didn’t sense the strain or anxiety that everyone said me would be there. There was a lot of confidence and I instantly felt like I belonged when my captain handed me the ball.”
With his raw pace and enormous potential, Yadav will surely be LSG’s key player this season when it comes to passing the ball. Compared to last season, when the average score at Ekana Cricket Stadium was barely 148, strokemaking was noticeably simpler for hitters on a night when the pitch may have played as well as it has in recent years. Yadav’s quick spurt proved to be the difference between win and defeat in a high-scoring contest. The pacer talked about how the coaching staff had kept him positive by not making his thinking too complicated.
“Morne (Morkel) and JL (Justin Langer) never instructed me to work with anything. They are aware of my good pace when working hard distances. All they said to me was to attack the stumps as much as possible, bowl quickly on lengths of hard ball, and keep my plans simple.”
It is uncommon to have Yadav’s level of speed, but it is even more uncommon to be able to combine such rapid speed and accuracy. Because strike bowlers can consistently generate breakthroughs, teams are willing to trade off high economy for them. For this very reason, Yadav is a special breed since he has always craved consistency without sacrificing speed. He gained recognition as he emerged victorious in the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy, taking 10 wickets at an economy of 5.61 from just five games.
During one of these matches, Yadav drew the attention of LSG’s assistant coach at the time, Vijay Dahiya, who didn’t waste any time in adding the young player to the team’s wishlist for the auctions. Although Yadav did not have many opportunities in the 2022 season, he was unable to participate in the 2023 season due to an injury even though a chance to do so presented itself.
“I’ve always wanted to provide less runs and be a reliable player for the club. I try to make the most of this speed since I find it to be advantageous.”
“I enjoy moving quickly in both life and cricket. Whether it’s a rocket, jet, or superbike. I therefore adore speed.”
“I fractured my ribs along with a side strain. It took place subsequent to the Vijay Hazare trophy. I’ve been told by all the physiotherapists that these injuries are commonplace for fast bowlers. I’ve had two to three serious ailments in the past 12 to 18 months, and I was forced to skip the previous IPL season owing to an injury. I’m thus concentrating on controlling my strength and conditioning and attempting to prevent injuries as much as possible.”
The opposing team also praised Yadav for his outstanding start, with Punjab Kings Head of Cricket Development Sanjay Bangar praising the rookie’s memorable showing.
“Mayank Yadav came in and broke the back of our batting, and I believed we had a tremendous start. The lengths he bowled made it very difficult, and he bowled really quickly. He made good use of the large side of the ground. It was something that really got us back into the game. We were also hindered by Livingstone’s injury since he bats a little higher up. Thus, when you add all of these factors together, those are some of the reasons why we were defeated by 21 runs.”
“Not everyone moves as quickly as Mayank does. I’m quite impressed; he has a great line-up, nice motion, and a great ability to hit the lengths. A beautiful talent, which the IPL displays. It finds talent and provides a forum for it.”
Throughout the 40 overs of the match, 377 runs were scored at an overall scoring rate of 9.42, and Yadav was the only bowler whose economy was less than seven runs per over. Naturally, this is on top of the three significant wickets he took in the middle overs to ruin PBKS’s possible run chase. Bangar acknowledged that the x-factor that Yadav’s blistering velocity produced surprised his batters. The former all-rounder for India expressed the hope that Yadav would be treated carefully considering his impressive skill set.
“(With bowlers like Mayank), there’s always an element of surprise. They can rush you until you haven’t seen or played them. Teams won’t understand the action and how the ball leaves the hand unless they play against such bowlers. No matter how much you watch on film, being on the ground differs. The bowlers’ future will be determined by their ability to maintain this form and develop new abilities.”
He is a very gifted bowler. The sky is the limit if he can maintain his physical fitness. He is a gifted player who I hope follows the proper route in the years to come. He moves smoothly and has a natural sense of speed. Additionally, I hope that the national selectors develop them, as the NCA will then oversee his workload and support him during challenging assignments.”
In each of the three games this season, Punjab Kings has been concerned about death bowling. Even though they prevailed in their first game against the Delhi Capitals, Abishek Porel’s late charge had raised the total to a far more competitive 174 from a potential 150-160. Before the inconsistent slog overs bowling against Dinesh Karthik and Mahipal Lomror let things slip away against RCB, Punjab had the game within their grasp. It was Krunal Pandya’s turn to destroy PBKS’ bowling in the final overs on Saturday.
Harshal Patel, who cost INR 11.75 crore and was tasked with being the death bowler, has underwhelmed, scoring more than 11 runs per over in each of the three games. Although the pacer has occasionally bowled well, he frequently finds it difficult to stop loose boundary deliveries throughout his outings. Bangar, however, put his support behind the 33-year-old and predicted that Punjab’s marquee addition would pass this developmental stage.
“If you watch, Harshal bowls the hardest overs, comparable to Mitchell Starc. He bowls after 10 overs or in the final five overs most of the time. The challenge is very great because, as per our team plan, he bowls three overs after the 10-over boundary. Then you have to consider the opportunity he creates for wicket-taking; a couple of mishits he induced fell short of the fielders. Things would have been different if those had been handed in.”
