Pace King Mayank Yadav earns maiden India call-up after overcoming injury woes

The newest fast bowling sensation, Mayank Yadav, earned his maiden India call-up, overcoming injury concerns. He is part of India's 15-member squad vs Bangladesh for the 3-match T20I series.

In Short

• Mayank Yadav earns maiden India call-up in T20Is
• He is part of India's 15-member squad vs Bangladesh
• Mayank bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2024

Mayank Yadav, a name that made headlines in the Indian Premier League 2024 for all the right reasons, is now part of India's T20I squad against Bangladesh. Mayank emerged as India's newest fast bowling sensation and grabbed everyone's attention with his raw pacer and wicket-taking abilities during his short yet impactful stint in IPL 2024 with Lucknow Super Giants. However, Mayank's fairytale debut season has been cut short by an unfortunate injury. The Delhi-born speedster initially missed the build-up to the IPL due to injury concerns, but earned his maiden India call-up in no time.

Making his debut for Lucknow Super Giants against Punjab Kings, the 22-year-old pacer's performance was nothing short of sensational. Clocking speeds consistently over 150 kph, Mayank rattled the PBKS batting lineup, dismissing Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, and Jitesh Sharma to win the Player of the Match award. What stood out even more than his figures of 3 wickets for 27 runs was his sheer speed.

When Mayank made heads turn

In his very first outing, Mayank bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2024 at 155.8 kmph and went on to break his own record by hitting 156.7 kmph in the next game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. His electrifying pace and accurate bowling made him an instant star, as he took a total of 6 wickets in his first two matches, winning back-to-back Player of the Match awards.

He troubled some of the best international batters like Glenn Maxwell and Jonny Bairstow, and managed 17 dot balls against RCB at Chinnaswamy Stadium, keeping a notoriously loud crowd silent. In his third outing, Mayank picked up an abdominal injury that forced him to leave the field early. Despite this setback, he made a comeback in LSG's clash against Mumbai Indians but had to leave the field again after bowling just 3.1 overs. The LSG camp confirmed that Mayank had sustained a tear in his lower abdominal region, an area where he had previously suffered a similar injury.

With his injury aggravating further, LSG's head coach Justin Langer announced that the young pacer would miss the remainder of the season. Overall, Mayank picked seven wickets from four matches at an average of 12.14 and an economy of 6.98 before injuries ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Although his time in IPL 2024 has been cut short, Mayank Yadav has already made a lasting impression. His record-breaking speeds and the ability to take crucial wickets have shown that he is a talent to watch for the future. While his injury came in as a setback, the 22-year-old has already established himself as a player capable of turning heads and dominating top-level cricket.

India squad for Bangladesh T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, JItesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav