Three reasons why Mayank Yadav will make Umran Malik's India comeback difficult

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Mayank Yadav has set the IPL 2024 on fire with his pace and accuracy while bowling for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The 21-year-old from Delhi created history on Tuesday (April 2) by becoming the first player in the IPL history to win Man of Match Award in his first two matches.

The Delhi-born speedster picked the wickets of Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar and Glenn Maxwell as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fell 28 runs short of the 182-run target set by LSG at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. His match figures read an impressive - 3/14 in four overs.

He picked three wickets for 27 runs in four overs against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on his IPL debut in the match prior to it. He picked the wickets of Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma to reduce Punjab from 102/0 in 11.3 overs to 139/4 in 15.4 overs.

The debut match also saw him bowl the fastest delivery of IPL 2024. Mayank Yadav bowled a 155.8 KMPH screamer to Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan. He broke his own record by bowling the fifth-fastest delivery in the history of IPL on Tuesday. Mayank Yadav clocked 156.7 KMPH on the speedometer against RCB.

Will Mayank Yadav corner Umran Malik?

The rapid pace of Mayank Yadav has reminded fans of Umran Malik who made headlines for his pace after making his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2021. His 157 KMPH delivery in IPL 2022 is fourth fastest in the history of the league.

However, the growth of the 24-year-old hasn't been rapid, and the emergence of Mayank Yadav is only going to make his India comeback difficult. Let's have a look at three reasons why Mayank Agarwal can sideline Umran Malik and make his comeback in the Indian cricket team difficult.

Pace with a lot of control: Having pace is one thing, and demonstrating control with it is another. A proper merger of both is needed to make a lethal fast bowler. Mayank Yadav has shown that he has got both in his arsenal, something which Umran Malik has struggled with.

Malik has got to bowl in just one of the three matches for SRH in IPL 2024. He bowledan just over against Mumbai Indians (MI) and leaked 15 runs without taking any wicket from it. Mayank has picked six wickets in two matches at an economy rate of 6.83. He is currently the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2024.

Umran Malik last played for India in July 2023. In the one-day match against West Indies, he leaked 27 runs in three overs without taking a wicket.

Drying opportunities for Umran in IPL: There has been a gradual decline in Umran Malik's IPL career as well. He played 14 matches for SRH in IPL 2022 and picked 22 wickets. He got only eight games to play in IPL 2023 due to his poor form. He picked five wickets at an average of 43.40, and an economy rate of 10.85.

Brian Lara had openly cited his poor form as the reason behind his omission. Now in the ongoing IPL 2024, he has got to bowl just one over in three matches the 2016 champions have played.

Mayank Yadav being a Delhi cricketer: The administrative backing would also be more for Mayank who played for Delhi in domestic cricket. Irfan Pathan recently said that unlike Jammu and Kashmir's Umran, Mayank has the edge of playing with superior players in Delhi team and under superior coaches.

He is already getting suggestions from the likes of Delhi teammates Ishant Sharma, and Ishan Kishan. Also, Mayank Yadav is in direct contact of KL Rahul, who is considered as one of the captaincy prospects after Rohit Sharma.

Even though Umran Malik recently got a BCCI central contract, an India comeback would not be easy for him. Mayank Yadav has already made his intentions to play for India clear, and a spot in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad would be a jackpot for him.