Cricket is a funny sport. A pacer could be having the worst time of his life in a tournament — not picking up wickets, dealing with injuries, leaking a lot of runs — but somehow speed of 150 kmph just draws a lot of attention. And that has to be the story of LSG pacer , who played only two matches in IPL 2026 before the LSG vs RCB fixture on Thursday; started his spell with a 150 kmph delivery to Devdutt Padikkal, drew attention, and then failed.
Not getting game-time consistently, Mayank had a big task ahead of him. And what was in his favour was the big 210-run target that LSG had set. But he only flattered to deceive. His first two overs were nearly perfect, fetching only 15 runs, but from there on, the script changed, as he leaked 35 in the next two.
The good in Mayank Yadav’s spell
Looks fully fit: Barring the slower ones, the average speed was in the range of 140-142 kmph. The odd deliveries were over 146-147 as well. And all-in-all, it seemed, he was putting in the effort to bowl with pace. Not to forget the 150 kmph ball.
Bowled well in first two overs: His line was good, while the length is generally short, short of length. It was the first two overs, where he bowled the stump-to-stump line and there were a few hits and misses.
Too predictable for batters
Batters knew: By the time he came for the third over, Patidar knew, Mayank would bowl short and with pace. The moment he erred in line, he gave room to swing the arms, he started leaking runs.
Short ball to Aussies: While bowling short ball to Aussies, you just can’t miss line and length fractionally. Bit too short is easy pickings — and that is what Tim David displayed, to shatter his bowling figures.
The road ahead
Mayank is clearly work in progress. Despite achieving the fitness, he hasn’t regained his mojo, and just speed won’t help him or his team. Bowling coach Bharat Arun has his task cut out for the next few games, and if the bowler can pick a few wickets, it would do his confidence a world of good. But for now, just not good enough.
