I could not catch the match last night between LSG and RCB as I was traveling by train. But my phone was constantly buzzing with WhatsApp notifications from group chats where my friends (mostly RCB fans) were discussing, “Bhai kahan se aaya ye Mayank Yadav, Kabhi suna nahin pehle.” So I quickly opened X along with the highlights of the match to see how RCB were blown away by the new pace bowling sensation of Indian cricket, Mayank Yadav.
Mayank sent shockwaves around the stadium with his thunderous pace, bowling every delivery near the 150 kph mark. He broke the RCB batting backbone by dismissing superstar players like Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, and Cameron Green to register a match-winning 3/14 in his 4 overs. This was only his second-ever appearance in an IPL game and a second consecutive man-of-the-match performance after having the figures of 3 for 27 against PBSK. Thus he became the first player in the history of IPL to get two back-to-back POTM awards in his first two matches.
India always has had a scarcity of quality fast bowlers and it’s only natural for people to get super excited when a young lad is bowling superbly at this blistering pace. Mayank already had bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2024 at 155.8 kph in his first match. So when he bowled a delivery that clocked at 156.7 kph to break his own record, he was showered with appreciation from cricket pundits and supporters alike. Every major publication and the official broadcasters were quick to post about how Mayank had bowled the fastest ball of this year’s IPL.
Since Mayank was trending all over the internet, my editor wanted me to do an article on him.
I was doing a little research on this topic and was shocked to find an article from the previous day about how Gerald Coetzee of Mumbai Indians had bowled the fastest ball of the 2024 IPL and the second fastest in IPL history with 157.4 kph.
To verify this I went to the official website of IPL to watch the highlights of the match between MI and RR. It was the third delivery of the 16th over, bowled by Coetzee off which Parag hit the winning boundary. While the commentators were praising Rajasthan Royals for their impressive start, Coetzee had quietly broken the record for the fastest delivery of the season by sending down a 157.4 kph thunderbolt.
So even though it’s widely reported that Mayank is the fastest bowler of this edition of the IPL, the evidences say otherwise. But even if the numbers don’t put him in the numero uno position, Mayank is at the top of our hearts as we can’t wait to see him in an India jersey, blowing away the batting orders of the opponents.