It was a chilly net session in December 2021, and Mayank Yadav, just 19 at the time, was breathing fire in the Delhi nets. Picked in the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad for his ability to rush and intimidate batters with raw pace, the speedster was doing just that when one of his deliveries fractured Nitish Rana’s hand.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) regular Rana got an early taste of Mayank and had to miss four games of the white-ball tournament before making his only appearance in the fixture vs Saurashtra. That game versus Saurashtra was Mayank’s second List A appearance, and just two games were enough for the Delhi think-tank to get excited—very excited.
“It was just his second game but it was enough to ascertain his talent, very exciting talent. We had been seeing him in the camp and nets and he was bowling with a lot of pace. More than the pace, what stood out was the fact that extra pace didn’t make him compromise on accuracy. He was very accurate even back then and always looked to pick wickets,” recalls former Delhi coach Gursharan Singh.
Mayank’s debut game is still fresh in Gursharan’s mind, and the former India cricketer still can’t get over the wicket-maiden in that tight game vs Haryana.
“It was his first game and the management backed him to play. Haryana were chasing 268 and were comfortably placed before Mayank bowled a brilliant couple of overs to get Delhi back in the game. He bowled a wicket-maiden 49th over. He was very cool in the pressure situation on debut and it spoke volumes about his mental toughness,” says Gursharan.
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Like his first two List A games for Delhi, Mayank has made an instant impact in his first two IPL outings for the Lucknow Supergiants. With consistent speeds over 150 kmph, the 21-year-old has become the toast of social media, and five out of his six scalps are international cricketers who were rushed by the extra pace.
What makes him so quick?
In just two outings, the youngster has bowled the most 155+ deliveries in the history of a cash-rich league and the fastest delivery of the 2024 edition against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The 156.7 kmph thunderbolt is the fourth-fastest delivery in IPL history and the way Mayank is breaking his own speed records, it is a matter of time before he occupies the top spot.
So what makes him this quick? Is it the uncomplicated run-up, proper follow through or just a natural gift?
Dr Atul Gaikwad, India’s most qualified cricket coach, has dissected the action of India’s new pace sensation and feels it complies with the basic principles – good linear and angular momentum – to bowl fast.
“Very simple principles to bowl fast is run effectively, that is called linear momentum. When you come at the crease, use that linear momentum into angular momentum to release the ball by summing up all body parts effectively.
“Mayank has a good linear momentum when he runs. He looks like a proper athlete, and athleticism is required to bowl fast. He uses that linear momentum well and transfers it well into the rotational momentum. The momentum goes well from his legs to his trunks to his shoulders to his arms, and it allows him to release the ball at 150+ kmph. These are the simple mechanics for bowling fast,” says Gaikwad.
The hyperextension like Bumrah, Archer
Gaikwad, the only Indian coach with an elite level 4 coaching certification from the ECB and also holds a PHD in biomechanics, feels it’s Mayank’s bowling arm that is helping him consistently add those extra yards. The coach explains it’s the hyperextension of the elbow, similar to Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah, that gives him the added advantage.
“If you look at bowling arm of all fast bowlers when they are at the delivery stride, it comes at a horizontal level. It’s called a straight line. From shoulder to elbow to wrist, it creates a straight line just before the release. In case of Mayank, it is not straight. It bends more behind, more backward. The elbow extends beyond fully, it’s called hyperextension. That gives an extra advantage to propel the ball faster.
“For example, if you look at pole vault. When the pole is dug in before propelling forward, it literally goes back and makes a curve, and that curve has all potential energy – the elastic energy – and then it explodes. If you look at Mayank’s arm, it appears to have hyperextension. It goes behind, carries that potential energy, and explodes effectively at release. That’s the advantage he gets compared to other bowlers. It is similar to what Jofra Archer and Jasprit Bumrah have,” explains Gaikwad.
A word of caution
Gaikwad will not be surprised if Mayank crosses 160 kmph on the speed gun and asserts it’s the hyperextension allowing him to hit the 155 kmph mark consistently.
“To the naked eye, it looks like he has hyperextension because, without that, it’s difficult to bowl 150-155+ consistently. If he has that, something which is not very common, by birth and if he can manage the load at the elbow effectively, he can deliver 160+,” says Gaikwad.
The experienced coach, however, has a word of advice for the youngster and urged him to be “cautious” about his elbow joint.
“He might be scrutinised more in detail, and they might study his elbow joint if there is some abnormality or if there is something that doesn’t comply with legality. He might be called for bowling. So he should be cautious about his elbow joint and take care of that stuff,” says Gaikwad.
Mayank Yadav Remaining Injury-free Will be Real Challenge
These are still early days in Mayank’s cricketing journey, as he has played just one Ranji Trophy fixture. The speedster missed the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy due to a side strain, later diagnosed as a rib fracture, and lasted only 17.2 overs when he made his first-class debut in the 2022-23 season.
Before his IPL outings, the right-armer had played 17 List A and 10 T20 fixtures, and it was the List A outing for North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy that put him on the national selectors’ radar. Mayank wasn’t a straightforward selection in the North Zone squad as he was undergoing rehab in Mumbai, and there were doubts about his match fitness.
Gursharan, representing the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), called Mayank a day before the selection meeting and took an update on his match fitness.
“I was preparing some numbers for the selection meeting and Mayank was clearly one of the standout performers for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. I called to check on him and he told me that he is undergoing rehab in Mumbai but has started bowling 20-25 overs a week. I asked him to furnish match fitness certificates and necessary clearances, and he did that,” Gursharan informs.
The next day, Mayank was named as a standby in the North Zone squad, but Gursharan was still unconvinced. He wanted to see Mayank’s match readiness and asked him to play a T20 game in Baliawas, Gurgaon. The youngster turned up, bowled a fiery spell and the former India cricketer was convinced.
“He was named as a standby, but I wanted to see him play a match. He himself told me that he hadn’t played a game in a long time so I wanted him to get a nice feel of bowling and fielding and just being out there. He bowled four overs, picked two wickets, fielded really well and gave good account of his match fitness. As luck would have it, J&K’s Yudhvir Singh, part of main squad, was ruled out due to injury and Mayank was drafted into the 15 and he picked 12 wickets from five matches,” says Gursharan.
Mayank’s thunderbolts continue to dominate social media timelines, and calls for his inclusion in the national side are getting louder with every 150+ kmph delivery he bowls. But weren’t they equally loud when Umran Malik arrived? Yes, Mayank is a very accurate bowler with wicket-taking abilities, but these are still early days in his career and only more game time will help him understand his bowling and body better.
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He has already had a couple of injury concerns since making his Delhi debut in 2021, and the priority should be to last the entire IPL and remain consistent with the ball. If he manages to do that, he will take giant strides towards wearing the Indian jersey.
“I hope he remains injury free. He was injured couple of times in last two-three years and his action puts some extra strain on the side – something which kept him out of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 too. So hope he gets the right guidance and remains on the right track. The action overall is clean and very uncomplicated,” adds Gursharan.
For now, he can soak in the praise coming his way and the social media following, which has already skyrocketed from 4,000 to 2,20,000. And counting.
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