Mayank Yadav, an unknown commodity, bowled the fastest delivery in this year’s IPL. Mayank Yadav, in his debut match, bowled a delivery at 155.8 km/hr. The pacer bowled this delivery in the 12th over of Punjab’s innings. Mayank had a phenomenal debut, finishing with figures of 3/27 in his four overs.
However, Mayank Yadav is highly inspired by jet planes. In his post-match presentation, Mayank said, “Even in normal life, apart from cricket, I love things that have speed with them. Whether it is a rocket, airplane, or superbike, speed excites me. In my childhood, I liked jet planes and would get inspiration from them.
Mayank further added, “I have never bowled 156 kmph before this. I clicked 155 kmph during Mushtaq Ali, but this is my fastest ball.”
Mayank had played just a couple of list A matches before he got picked by LSG in the 2023 IPL auction but missed the entire season due to a hamstring injury.
Speaking about the same, Mayank Yadav said, “Injuries are part of fast bowlers’ lives; they are your friends. I had two-three major injuries in the past one or one and a half years. Those were my setbacks.
“Last season also, I missed playing in the IPL because of an injury. I had a side strain injury with a rib fracture, and that happened after Vizay Hazare. My effort is to give more attention to recovery and to myself, in training and physically.”
Mayank is highly inspired by South African paceman Dale Steyn.
Speaking about the same, Mayank Yadav said, ““I look up to only one fast bowler, and that is Dale Steyn. He is my idol, and I idolize him a lot.” Talking about his game plan in his debut match, he said, “JL (head coach Justin Langer) or even Morne Morkel (bowling coach) did not say anything particular on what I need to work on. They know that, along with pace, my hard-length ball is good.
“They just told me to keep the plan simple, use pace, and bowl hard-length balls as many as possible, as well as those that can be finished on stumps.”
Speaking about his debut Mayank Yadav said, “A lot of excitement was there in my debut. For the last two years, I have been visualizing just one thing:
when I make my debut, how will I feel when I bowl my first ball? Everybody said there would be some pressure or nervousness, but I did not feel it at all.
“When my captain told me to bowl the first over, I felt inside me that I belonged to this place, and there was a lot of confidence.”
Speaking about his future goals, Mayank said, “My aim is to always remain consistent and give away fewer runs to help the team. Pace is a plus point for me, which I try to use in a good way.”
