Mayank Yadav calls Dale Steyn his idol, South African pacer reacts

Mayank Yadav LSG’s young 21-year-old rookie pacer made a mark in the IPL clocking speeds over 140 kph consistently against Punjab Kings. He took 3/27 in his maiden IPL match to hand the Super Giants their first points of the season.

Chasing 200 to win, Punjab Kings were placed at 102 for no loss in the 12th over. Mayank who was bowling that over dismissed Jonny Bairstoe first (42). He then came back to dismiss Prabhsimran Singh (19) and Jitesh Sharma (6) rattling the Kings three down.

He finally finished his spell with 3/27 as Punjab Kings from being 102 for no loss finished at 178/5 in their 20 overs. This was Punjab’s second loss on the bounce and the first win for the Super Giants of the season.

After the match, Mayank Yadav spoke about his bowling idol. He named former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn as his idol and also spoke about how he joined the Super Giants for IPL 2024. “My Idol is Dale Steyn,” said Mayank to start his interaction.

“I have been visualizing only one thing for the last 2 years, & that’s how it would be when I deliver my first ball in the IPL. How it will feel to play in front of a big audience. Everyone told me there would be a bit of nervousness, but I didn’t feel it” said Mayank on his debut. He also spoke about how he was spotted by Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2024.

“I think it was 2 years back, before the mega auction when I was with Delhi for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It was a match against UP, and there our assistant coach, Vijay Dahiya, spotted me. He showed interest in me and asked for my videos” Mayank further added.

Mayank is a good addition to Lucknow Super Giants who had to trade Avesh Khan to the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the season. He clocked speeds of over 140 kph consistently. None of his deliveries were below 140 and rushed onto the batters.

Dale Steyn Impressed By Mayank Yadav’s Pace

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar spoke about fast racking him into the Indian senior cricketing team and utilizing his raw pace. Meanwhile, Dale Stey also reacted to the young pacer after seeing him bowl for the first time in the tournament. “155,8 KPH Mayank Yadav where have you been hiding” said Steyn on his Twitter post.

155,8 KPH

Mayank Yadav where have you been hiding!

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 30, 2024

Meanwhile, Mayank’s fiery spell put Punjab Kings on the backfoot who lost their second game on the bounce after having a good start to the chase. Earlier in the game, LSG scored 199/8 batting first with contributions from Quinton de Kock (58), Nicholas Pooran (42), and Krunal Pandya (43 * off 22).

The LSG bowlers led by Mayank Yadav then restricted the Kings and won the match by 21 runs. The win has propelled them to the fifth position on the points table with an NRR of +0.025 after just two games. The Super Giants next lay against RCB at the Chinnaswamy on April 2.

“Never thought it would be such a good debut. Was nervous before the match. Tried to stick to my pace and aim at the stumps. Was thinking about using slower ones initially, but stuck to the quick ones. The first wicket (Bairstow) was special. It’s good to debut at such a young age. Had a few goals, but can’t help if injuries come in the way” said Mayank on his Man of the Match performance.

Also Read: Brett Lee goes ballistic after Mayank Yadav’s sensational spell in the IPL, labels him India’s fastest bowler