Former South Africa cricketer and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fielding coach Jonty Rhodes called IPL 2024 spearhead pacer Mayank Yadav “Rolls Royce” of the IPL franchise. The pacer, a product of Delhi’s Sonnet Cricket Club, gained the attention of the cricket fraternity with his raw pace in his debut match against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The Delhi-bound pacer continuously bowled above 145 and returned with a figure of 3 for 27 with a top speed of 155.8 km/h. In the four matches that he played for the franchise in 2024, Mayank picked four wickets with an economy of 6.99. However, he suffered the injury against Gujarat Titans at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium and walked off the field due to a side strain, which was further confirmed as lower abdomen soreness which resulted in him being out of the play for whole season.

“I’m not a bowling coach, but Morne Morkel, during the previous season, when Mayank got injured at the start of the preparation, literally Morne said, ‘Wow, this guy (Mayank Yadav), he’s like the Rolls Royce of bowlers, similar to how we used to call Allan Donald a Rolls Royce. He is LSG’s Rolls Royce.

“He had a whole season with the team and that’s why the owners decided to keep him with the team, he did all his rehab throughout the IPL, and stayed a part of the unit because we really believe that he is a young guy with extreme talent and we saw him in the games that he played and and everybody was really monitoring him not wrapping him in cotton wool,” Rhodes told IANS.

Mayank also holds the record of the fastest delivery of IPL 2024, at 156.7 kmph, which came in the clash against RCB at Bengaluru. Frequent injuries have put hurdles in Mayank’s cricketing journey so far. He missed IPL 2023 due to an injury sustained in a practice session and had to miss the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy entirely because of an injury, for which he underwent rehabilitation in Mumbai.

“But monitoring his workload and understanding that he is a guy that doesn’t need to bowl 30 minutes every day in the nets, he just needs to topup to make sure that he from a mental and emotional point of view feels that he’s ready because he is raw talent. We saw what happened with Umran Malik who burst onto the scenes at sheer pace we all got excited, but you know the question is can the player bowl to the game plan that’s because they’re bowling some of the best batters in the world and sometimes on really good surfaces so if you’ve just got pace and you can’t bowl in good areas or with good skill, the better players will hit you out the ground,” said Rhodes.

“So I think from a point of view where LSG haven’t worried about, or haven’t gone, let’s wrap him in cotton wool, because then he comes to the game, you never know what’s going to happen. But the preparation is key and hopefully, you know, through the season when the off season and now the season again by the time he comes to IPL and if he’s playing with LSG again or even if he’s not playing for LSG I just hope Mayank is bowling and is fit for the whole IPL because there’s a talent that is exciting,” he concluded.

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