IPL 2024: LSG bowling coach Morkel hails Mayank Yadav for his pace

Lucknow Super Giants` Mayank Yadav bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium, in Lucknow. Pic/PTI

Lucknow Super Giants bowling coach Morne Morkel praised Mayank Yadav for his pace and consistency which helped the side to go the distance in the IPL 2024. The 21-year-old speedster bowled most of his deliveries with a pace of 150 kmph plus which helped him to pick the wickets of Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma.

While chasing the target of 200, Punjab Kings failed to achieve despite Shikhar Dhawan's 70 runs and Jonny Bairstow's 42. LSG won the IPL 2024 match against PBKS by 21 runs. Mayank making his first appearance in the IPL 2024 registered figures of three wickets for 27 runs. "Young Mayank bowled serious heat and got the wickets. It was tough last year as he got injured after the first warm-up game. We're managing him better. He ran in and that was the pleasing thing," said Morkel, a former South African pace-bowling star. "We asked the guys to do the basics well on a good wicket. Told him to stick to his lengths and use bouncers. Proud he ran in and bowled gas despite the humidity. How the wicket would play was an unknown, we had to sum up conditions and use them."

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Debutant Yadav who won the "Player of the Match" award said he was not nervous playing his first IPL game as he just did what his seniors told him to do. "I've always heard from others there's nervousness in debuts but that goes away after the first ball. Plan was to not be under too much pressure and to bowl at the stumps and use the pace as much as possible. "There was the thought to mix up the pace initially but the wicket helped and the skipper told me to bowl gas. The debut wicket was the favourite. Coming off the injury last season was tough, I'd set my goal to debut at a young age but injuries were a setback," added Mayank. Shikhar said Liam Livingstone getting injured really put a spanner in PBKS' works even as he admitted Mayank's pace "outsmarted" his side.

"They (LSG) played well, Livi got injured that impacted us. He'd have come in at 4. Mayank bowled really well. His pace outsmarted us. "It was nice facing him, surprised me with that pace. Knew as an experienced player I'd use it. But he figured it out and bowled yorkers to keep me down to a dot and a single. I was mindful and told my partners to use the short side. "He bowled at Prabh's body and got him out. Told Jitesh to leave Mayank and take on the other bowlers but they bowled well too and then used the pressure against us," said Dhawan.