Debutant pacer Mayank Yadav shone brightly as his team, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), secured their inaugural victory in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) as they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 21 runs at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday, 30 March.
The 21-year-old delivered a stellar performance, claiming four wickets while conceding just 27 runs in his four-over spell, boasting an impressive economy rate of 6.8. Yadav's scalps included key batters - Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, and Jitesh Sharma.
In the process, the speedster also became the bowler to clock the fastest delivery in the 17th edition of the IPL thus far when he produced a 155.8 kmph delivery. He now holds the record for the three fastest deliveries in IPL 2024, clocking speeds of 155.8 kmph, 153.9 kmph, and 153.4 kmph.
Post his match-winning spell, the young debutant revealed his plan against the formidable PBKS batter and said, "Never thought it would be such a good debut. Was nervous before the match. Tried to stick to my pace and aim at the stumps. Was thinking about using slower ones initially, but stuck to the quick ones."
"First wicket (Bairstow) was special. It's good to debut at such a young age. Had a few goals, but can't help if injuries come in the way," he added at the post-match presentation.
Who Is Mayank Yadav?
The pacer honed his skills at the Sonnet Cricket Club, under the guidance of the late Tarak Sinha, the same academy where ace Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant has also trained.
Yadav was acquired by LSG in the 2022 auction for the base price of Rs 20 Lakh. However, he had to be replaced by Arpit Guleria due to an injury.
Domestic Cricket Performance
Representing Delhi in domestic cricket, Mayank showcased his prowess by grabbing two crucial wickets in the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023-2024. Albeit, in his team's losing cause against Punjab.
In his cricket career so far, he has participated in 10 T20 matches and 17 List A matches, managing to take a total of 46 wickets across formats.
Mayank gained recognition for his outstanding performances in the 2023 Deodhar Trophy while playing for the North Zone team. He emerged as one of the standout bowlers, finishing as the joint-second highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets in five innings.
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