Why India's 156.7 Kmph Pace Sensation Mayank Yadav Should Not Be Picked For T20 World Cup

Nearly one-third of the Indian Premier League 2024 season is done and dusted and like always, the competition has already unearthed some gems from the domestic circuit. Apart from the batting pyrotechnics by Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, India has also discovered a bowler with raw pace in Mayank Yadav, who has grabbed eyeballs in IPL 2024 having consistently clocked deliveries over 150 kmph. He also bowled the fastest ball of the season at 156.7 kmph.

The 21-year-old pacer from Delhi won two Player of the Match awards in his first two games for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), with most of his deliveries clocking north of 150 kmph.

As a result, Mayank has put his name in the reckoning for India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad after his match-winning three-fers against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

However, the pacer is currently injured and will miss at least LSG's next two fixtures due to soreness in his lower abdominal area. "He felt a little bit of tightness at the top of his hip leading into the last game, but that was about a one-out-of-ten pain, and we thought that there were clinical signs," LSG head coach Justin Langer said in a press conference on April 11.

One must note that the T20 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner and India is yet to announce its 15-member squad for the marquee ICC event which is scheduled to be held in West Indies and the USA in June.

With Mohammed Shami out of contention due to injury and a few other experienced fast bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel yet to make a mark in this year's IPL, the question on everyone's mind is whether Mayank Yadav deserves a place in India's squad for the T20 World Cup.

While Mayank has captured the collective