Image Credit- BCCI
Mayank Yadav made a
memorable debut by picking up the tempo and smashing the Punjab Kings batting
lineup to help the Lucknow Super Giants win their first game of the year.
Even though Mayank won Player of the Match after going 3 for 27 in his four
overs, it was his pace that got people to pay attention. His first ball on the
speed gun registered 147 kph, then in his second over, he hit the fastest ball
of the IPL 2024 with a speed of 155.8 kph.
Having dealt with some injury issues over the last year, the Delhi lad couldn’t
have hoped for a better start to his IPL journey. “I didn’t really think
it [my debut] would go that well. I have heard from the others that there can
be nervousness on debut. But after the first ball, all my nervousness went away,”
Mayank said at the post-match presentation. “Everyone said to not take too
much pressure, just bowl on the stumps, and use the pace. That’s what I
did.”
Mayank, the last of
LSG’s six bowlers to be employed, made the biggest impact after the Kings had
accelerated to 102 for 0 in the 12th over of their 200-run chase in Lucknow.
After being dismissed for two fours in his opening over, he returned to dismiss
Jonny Bairstow with a quick back-of-a-length ball that travelled at 142 kmph,
hurrying the batsman and resulting in a catch at deep midwicket.
After being hammered for a six by Prabhsimran Singh, the 21-year-old continued
to play aggressively and reaped the rewards right away, outpacing Prabhsimran
in pace and producing a top edge that only reached mid-on. He also removed
Jitesh Sharma from the equation, and the Kings lost all of their momentum,
finishing at 178/5.
Kings captain
Shikhar Dhawan admitted he was surprised by the pace that Mayank generated, and
agreed the fast bowler outsmarted his batters.
“We started off quite well, and thought we could chase down the score
easily but the new lad Mayank bowled really well. His pace outsmarted us and we
ended up losing the game,” Dhawan said.