Tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav makes strong case for T20 World Cup 2024 selection

IPL 2024: Tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav makes strong case for T20 World Cup 2024 selection. Mayank Yadav clocked 156.7 kph against RCB.

Mayank Yadav makes a strong case for T20 WC 2024 selection? (Images: ©BCCI/IPLT20)

Hailing from Delhi, 21-year-old Mayank Yadav is ripping away the opponents in the IPL 2024 with his searing 150 kmph+ pace and accuracy. Mayank had batters with international experience hopping and harrowing to his consistent and pinpoint thunderbolt deliveries.

An accomplishment quite rare in the India’s pace bowling breed, Mayank’s latest performances in the IPL have evoked a sense of credence. He is a part of the prestigious Sonnet Cricket Club, Delhi which has produced exemplary Indian cricketers over the years including Ashish Nehra, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant.

Mayank Yadav’s grand foray in IPL

In 2021, the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi teams were practising next to each other at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Vijay Dahiya was the UP coach when a tall lanky fast bowler in the Delhi nets caught his eye. After watching the Delhi bowler deliver a couple of balls, Dahiya was convinced he had found an exciting and explosive talent for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), with whom he was an assistant coach and talent scout.

The speedster made his IPL debut in 2024 in the match played against Punjab Kings in the Ekana stadium on 24th March. Yadav’s fervid bowling spell annihilated Punjab’s batting order, snaring crucial wickets when he was introduced in the middle overs. He claimed the prized wickets of Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma who failed to time their pull shots against his pace. 

In his spell against PBKS, he bowled 9 deliveries which clocked 150+. His fastest delivery clocked 155.8 kmph whereas his slowest delivery clocked 141 kmph. His inspirational bowling spell turned the tide in LSG’s favour which made him earn the Player of the Match on his IPL debut.

In his second match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), he claimed the prized wickets of Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green and Rajat Patidar hurrying them to play the wrong shots. He bettered his previous record of IPL 2024’s fastest delivery by clocking 156.7 kmph. He earned accolades for his breathtaking bowling spell of 4-0-14-3 against a strong batting unit and earned his consecutive Player of the Match recognition.

In the sample size of 2 matches in the IPL, he has taken 6 wickets giving away only 41 runs in 8 overs at an impressive bowling average of 6.83.

Read More: Sonnet Express from Delhi: The story of Mayank Yadav

Mayank took Maxwell, Green and Patidar's wicket (Images: ©BCCI/IPLT20)

What makes Mayank Yadav a strong contender for T20 World Cup 2024 call-up? 

Mayank Yadav is a tall lanky 6’1 bowler who constantly clocks around 150+kmph. With his strong build, he can use his height and raw pace to great advantage producing sharp bouncers, unsettling the batters on the crease. He has kept the batters guessing with the unpredictable pace at which the ball is lodged, luring them into playing mistimed shots.

The grace and poise with which he starts his run up and ends his bowling action is sheer poetry in motion. As stated by former India fast bowler Varun Aaron, Mayank derives his pace from a smooth bowling action with a perfect head and arm position during the load-up along with his robust front leg that lands in perfect sync. Mayank’s wrist position allows him to deliver a bouncer with a three-quarter seam, which the Australian bowling legend Brett Lee used to articulate seamlessly.

It's not only his pace that has won accolades for him but it’s his discipline with his line and length that makes him lethal. The way he bowls those short-pitched deliveries that travel so quickly makes him a dangerous customer for the batters. His great control over the areas where he wants to pitch the delivery comes with years of hard dedication and practice.

He will be tested in the longer duration of the season, learning and evolving maturely with LSG bowling coach Morne Morkel by his side. His awe-inspiring bowling spells have attracted the keen eyes of the selectors and the cricketing legends alike. It remains to be seen how he will perform and evolve in the remainder of IPL 2024.

Read More: IPL 2024, RCB vs LSG: Mayank Yadav's middle overs burst disintegrates RCB; LSG win

Mayank’s tearaway pace: missing piece of India’s jigsaw puzzle

The strength of the greatest T20 cricketing nations of the world augurs well with the possession of pace batteries in their team lineup. The likes of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Mitchell Starc, Lockie Ferguson, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje etc. possess the capability of ripping through the batting order of any opposition with their quick pace, winning the matches for their respective teams single-handedly.

With the notable absence of Mohammad Shami who is currently recuperating from his injury, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah are the sure-shot pace contenders for selection in the upcoming T20 World Cup. India also has Umran Malik who clocks around 150+ kmph but his inconsistency in performance doesn’t help the trust factor. With the lack of true tearaway pace bowlers in India, the selectors can look upon Mayank Yadav who has made a strong case for himself with his impeccable bowling spells.

Read More: IPL 2024, LSG vs PBKS: Mayank Yadav searing pace creates dents in PBKS chase, LSG win