Rapid Mayank announces his arrival in style

Mayank Yadav's searing pace has got the cricket world talking. Four rapid overs — the speedometer hit a high of 155.8 km/h and regularly crossed the 150 km/h mark — are responsible for the sudden attention as Yadav, 21, claimed 3/27 on debut to hand Lucknow Super Giants a 21-run win against Punjab Kings.

Mayank Yadav troubled the Punjab Kings batters with his rapid pace.(PTI)

All his wickets — Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma — came off the short ball in a clear indication that the Punjab batters were rushed by Yadav's hostile speed and steep bounce. The delivery that was recorded at 155.8 km/h was bowled to Punjab skipper Shikhar Dhawan and zoomed past his bat well before he could bring it down.

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The thrilling display gave Yadav the player-of-the-match award, the first bowler in this season's IPL to claim that distinction.

With the relaid surface at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow offering good bounce, Yadav was able to exploit the conditions and the new two-bouncers-in-an-over rule to his advantage. For the record, Yadav has now bowled the sixth-fastest ball in IPL history — Shaun Tait holds the record for the quickest ball at 157.7 km/h — and the second-best by an Indian behind Umran Malik.

“Speed thrills and I keep trying to increase my pace. Even in my childhood, watching supersonic jets thrilled me,” Yadav said on Saturday. “Apart from cricket, I love rockets, planes and superbikes. Speed has become a part of my life. I try to be consistent, give away fewer runs. I was waiting for the opportunity to show my calibre in the IPL.”

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While the wider world wouldn't have known much about Yadav before his potentially life-altering four-over burst on Saturday, it's not as if the boy from Punjabi Bagh in the national capital was a complete unknown. The young tearaway is a product of the famed Sonnet Club in Delhi, an academy from which the likes of Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Ashish Nehra and Aakash Chopra have graduated.

He made his Ranji Trophy debut against Maharashtra in Pune in the 2022/23 season — his only first-class appearance till date. He has also played 17 List A matches and 10 T20s for Delhi. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season, he was clocked at 150 km/h. But he missed the entire 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season due to a hamstring injury.

Yadav's association with LSG began when he was picked in the auction for IPL 2022 on the recommendation of former wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya, then the franchise's assistant coach, who saw the youngster ramp up the heat during Delhi's Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh almost two years ago. As LSG bowling coach Morne Morkel said on Saturday, the franchise had noticed Yadav's potential at the nets in last season's IPL but couldn't unleash him due to injury.

“I was sure of getting a chance to play in the IPL last year itself as Vijay Dahiya asked me to send my videos to him ahead of the IPL auction, but a series of injuries, especially a side strain with a rib fracture, denied me a chance. I didn’t lose heart and kept waiting for my chance,” said Yadav.

Yadav knows that injuries are a part and parcel of a fast bowler’s life. “After missing the opportunity in IPL last season due to injury, I am much more cautious now about my fitness and following the right pattern to stay fit so that I can produce more speed and thrill for myself,” he said.

Yadav was a bit surprised on Friday night when LSG coach Justin Langer told him he would play on Saturday. “It was exciting to hear JL tell me about my playing opportunity on match eve,” said Yadav, who idolises former South African pace ace Dale Steyn.

“It was the first time I bowled before such a huge crowd. I was told about the nervousness and pressure in my debut match, but I kept my cool and stayed focused on my game plan of bowling fast. I made sure that all my deliveries finished within the stumps,” said Yadav. “Both JL and bowling coach Morne Morkel told me to stick to the game plan. After bowling the first ball, I felt that I belonged to this place.”

Yadav won praise from many reputed observers including former Australian speedster Brett Lee. Dhawan, who was at the receiving end of the quickest ball in this year's IPL, said: "To be honest I was quite surprised to see the kind of pace he was generating, but that is where experience comes in. I tried to use his pace to my benefit but overall, his performance was really good.”

Morkel, who himself tormented many batters with his pace, expressed immense satisfaction at Yadav's performance. “It was truly heartening to witness Mayank’s exceptional bowling tonight. It’s a rare sight to see someone consistently clocking over 150 km/h. Considering his struggles last year due to injury during warm-up matches, this comeback is truly commendable."