The nod of approval came from none other than Brett Lee. As Mayank Yadav enthralled one and all with searing pace, the former Australia fast bowler wrote on X: “India has found its fastest bowler. Mayank Yadav! Raw pace. Very impressive.”
During the Lucknow Super Giants versus Punjab Kings game, the 21-year-old clocked 155.8 kph, the fastest delivery in this year’s IPL yet. On his debut for LSG, Mayank made people sit up and take note.
The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma were beaten for pace and bounce, as Mayank returned with 3-27 from his four overs to take the Player of the Match award. He emerged as a hero, single-handedly revitalising his team’s fortunes in a match that seemed to be slipping away from them due to the dominance of the Punjab openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Bairstow.
“That was my fastest delivery. I never coocked 156 kph before. Pace is my plus point and I want to use it properly,” Mayank said at the post-match press conference.
He instantly seized the spotlight by unleashing thunderbolts that consistently breached the 150-kph mark. Despite minimal expectations surrounding the debutant, Mayank’s relentless approach and blistering pace quickly endeared him to the spectators.
The match witnessed numerous instances of batsmen being left flummoxed by Mayank’s sheer pace, as evident from the numerous play-and-misses. Dhawan, the captain of the Punjab Kings, was all praise for Mayank as well, mentioning: “To be honest I was quite surprised to see the kind of pace he was generating, but that is where experience comes in. I decided to use his pace to my benefit but overall his performance was really good.”
The LSG bowling coach, Morne Morkel, expressed immense satisfaction over Mayank’s performance, saying: “It was truly heartening to witness Mayank’s exceptional bowling tonight. It’s a rare sight to see someone consistently clocking over 150 kph. Considering his struggles last year due to injury during warm-up matches, this comeback is truly commendable.”
Mayank’s future undoubtedly looks bright, but his journey has just begun. The LSG camp is elated to have discovered such a remarkable talent and is eager to nurture him for the challenges that lie ahead.
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