Mayank Yadav is a pace sensation who combines express speed with steep bounce, troubling batters by consistently hitting the deck hard. The Delhi fast bowler made his domestic debut in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy and was first spotted by former India cricketer Vijay Dahiya, who later played a key role in bringing him to Lucknow Super Giants during the 2022 IPL auction when he was the franchise’s assistant coach. Although Mayank did not get an opportunity in the playing XI during his first two IPL seasons, he caught widespread attention in the 2023 Deodhar Trophy, where he emerged as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets in five matches at an average of 17.58. LSG finally unleashed him in IPL 2024, and he made an immediate impact, becoming the talk of the tournament with a sensational debut performance of 3 for 27 against Punjab Kings, dismissing Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, and Jitesh Sharma. He followed it up with an even more impressive spell of 3 for 17 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, removing Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green. Regularly bowling at speeds exceeding 150 kph, Mayank clocked 156.7 kph against RCB, the fastest delivery of the season. Unfortunately, an injury restricted him to just four matches, but his performances were enough to fast-track him into India’s T20I setup, where he picked up four wickets in three matches against Bangladesh in October 2024. His rapid rise was further underlined when Lucknow Super Giants retained him for INR 11 crore ahead of the 2025 IPL mega auction.
