Lucknow Super Giants' pace spearhead Mayank Yadav is turning heads in the ongoing 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his sheer pace and has become the talk of the town overninght.
Mayank's ability to hurry the batters with the venom in his deliveries has caught the attention of several former cricketers and the 21-year-old is receiving praise from all corners.
The latest praise has come from former West Indian pacer Ian Bishop. The cricketer-turned-broadcaster took to X to urge the BCCI to add a sixth name to its newly unveiled fast bowling contract.
He also extolled Mayank for the pace he generated during the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Tuesday (April 2). "This Mayank Yadav Kid bowling like a child of the wind,,,pphhoofff," wrote Bishop on X.
For the unversed, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a fast bowling contract that comprises Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa. The announcement was made on February 28 - the same day the board handed out its annual player retainership contract for the 2023-24 season.
Mayank finished with figures of 3/14 in his four overs in the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and delivered the fastest ball of IPL 2024, clocking 156.7 kmph on the speed gun.
He was awarded the Player of the Match (POTM) for his match-winning effort that saw LSG take the game by 28 runs. Notably, it is Mayank's second-consecutive Player of the Match award this season but the 21-year-old is more delighted with the fact that he is contributing to the team.
"Feeling really good to get two Player-of-the-Match (awards) in two games but I'm more happy that we won both games," Mayank said after the game against RCB. "My aim is to do well for the country for as many years as I can. This is just the start, and my focus is on the main goal."
