New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) When Mangesh Yadav's name flashed on the IPL 2026 auction broadcast in Abu Dhabi, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) locked horns in a fierce bidding war that would forever change the left-arm quick's life.

Within seconds, his price rocketed from a base price of Rs 30 lakh to a staggering Rs 5.2 crore – a staggering jump FOR pacer. Mangesh, a skiddy left-arm pacer consistently clocking 140 kmph with a sharp yorker in his repertoire, could barely process what had just unfolded.

"I was just thinking the first bid should happen and a team takes me in. I was very happy with the first bid from RCB. But within seconds in front of my eyes, SRH and RCB were bidding for me and it reached five crores, which was extremely astonishing. My parents back home were very happy. They were also getting calls from relatives," recalled Mangesh in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

By the roadside in Noida, miles away from where his protege's life was being transformed, Phoolchand Sharma, who runs Wonders Cricket Club in Sector 34, was over the moon. "I can't tell you how happy I was on seeing him get selected. Before that, a lot of my kids have played in IPL, but there’s a different happiness for him. I did hope that he would be picked by any franchise in the auction.

“I have never met his father or mother, nor have I ever spoken to them. I have raised him like my own kid. He’s been a good boy from the start, a calm and hardworking kid. I gave him a lot of matches to play in Delhi, as well as in district leagues in Delhi and UP. He’s had a very long journey and is now seeing the fruits of being committed to that path," he told IANS.

Mangesh’s cricketing journey began in Borgaon village in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, not in an established academy but within the confines of his home’s compound. As a six-year-old, he'd return home in tears after fighting with boys while playing. His mother Rita found a solution: she'd bowl to him in the compound and he would bat for as long as he wished for.

"From there, I started playing cricket regularly and it went on and on. I started bowling a little late with the left arm. But I used to see the bowling of Mitchell Johnson and RP Singh sir bowling and that served me with a lot of motivation," he said.

As years went by, Mangesh's talent was remarkable. But in a family of six, including three sisters, his father Ramavadh drove trucks to make ends meet. Pursuing professional cricket seemed financially impossible till his maternal uncle convinced Ramavadh to let his son train seriously in cricket.

After that, Mangesh headed to Noida to train under Sharma. The hostel fees was Rs 20,000 per month, well beyond his family’s reach. What happened next would alter the trajectory of Mangesh's life. "Sir saw my game and he liked it. He forgave my fees and told me to stay here and practice, so that was very helpful in my journey.

"My father has done so much for me. I didn't have any stress, I just wanted to play cricket, all the struggle was of my father. If it wasn't for Phoolchand sir, I wouldn't have been able to play cricket."

The reality of Ramavadh's sacrifice was never lost on Mangesh. While Mangesh caught 4am trains for training and playing matches, his father was waking at the same time to begin another gruelling shift behind the wheel - navigating treacherous roads through the night with no fixed schedule.

"My father's struggle is unmatchable. I used to feel sad that I am going out to play, but the father is waking up daily in the morning, goes out to drive the truck in night through a lot of dangerous roads, though they are in a much better condition now."

The academy evolved alongside Mangesh - from basic facilities to a comprehensive setup featuring gym, indoor nets, trainers and coaches. Apart from Shivam Mavi, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India stars Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya would drop in for net sessions at Sharma’s academy when in Delhi-NCR.

What immediately struck Sharma about Mangesh was the rarity of discovering a left-arm quick whose natural bowling action didn't require fundamental reconstruction. His bowling action reminded him of how Zaheer Khan bowled - smooth, repeatable, lethal.

"You do know that when a left-handed batter or bowler plays, there is an alag nazakat (different sheen) to it. Right from the rhythm of his run-up, he seemed like a perfect packaged bowler. We have to teach a lot of kids that you are running slow, head is falling over and rhythm is not good.

“But when he used to run and bowl, it was perfect action, like how Zaheer used to have. I used to like Zaheer's action and he was just like that. We worked on improvising it," he added.

Small technical tweaks combined with natural athleticism gradually revealed a complete cricketer capable of consistently hitting 140kmph. "The biggest thing is he had a lot of seniors to learn and get support from, like Anureet Singh, who played for IPL for many years, Mavi, and Bhuvneshwar.

“We caught some of his small shortcomings, or at times, other boys caught it. We developed his bowling slowly. He is a good fielder from the start. In between, when the kids used to go elsewhere, he used to hit long sixes. His hitting power has been very good," he added.

Mangesh represented MP in U19 and U23 teams, but feared opportunities were slipping away without a proper platform to showcase his talent. Then came the Madhya Pradesh League - an initiative by current MPCA President Mahanaaryaman Scindia that proved to be transformative. Playing for Gwalior Cheetahs this year, Mangesh claimed 14 wickets to become the tournament's leading wicket-taker and IPL scouts took notice.

"I thought I would be late in grabbing my opportunity, but Scindia ji introduced the MP League and then I got the chance to perform. When I got good performances in it this year, everything has happened well from then onwards for me."

Mangesh’s three mentors - Anand Rajan, Tanmay Srivastava and Ankur Tyagi – also stepped in to refine his game and mindset. Srivastava, an Under-19 World Cup winner for India in 2008 and now an active umpire, provided invaluable perspective to Mangesh, so as Rajan, who played for the state and in the IPL.

"I talk to Ankur Tyagi after every match - he is like a big brother to me. He has always supported and guided me in the right way. Due to all three of them, I have always improved in the right way," he said.

Despite a disappointing debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), MP head coach Chandrakant Pandit pushed him to showcase his batting abilities in the second match against Punjab. Mangesh grabbed the chance by hitting 28 off 12 balls, proving that he was more than just a bowler.

"My first match was not that good, but the captain backed me well, due to which I was amongst the wickets. Pandit sir told me 'Mangesh, you will also have to do some batting'. In the second game, he sent me up to bat and I was able to showcase my batting abilities, which felt really good."

Before embarking to Pune for the tournament’s Super League stage, Mangesh went through trials with RCB, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, and Mumbai Indians. Though he couldn't attend SRH and PBKS trials due to hectic schedule, the former’s bowling coach, ex-India pacer Varun Aaron took notice of his skillsets.

But now, landing at RCB means sharing a dressing room with the talismanic Virat Kohli - a childhood dream that Mangesh admits never seemed remotely possible. "I always wanted to play under Virat sir's captaincy. But he is not doing it and I feel sharing the dressing room with him is a big deal. I never imagined that I would play alongside him and this set to become a reality is a great feeling.”

His recent experience under Patidar's captaincy during high-pressure SMAT games also keeps Mangesh in good stead. “Cricket is tough if you think in mind about it and playing in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a lot of pressure, as you do know the likes of Prabhsimran Singh and Ishan Kishan are tough to bowl to. But all of this was made easy by playing under Rajat bhaiya's captaincy. The role he gave me, I managed to fulfill that and it made life easy."

The visualization has already begun – Mangesh standing at the top of his run-up in RCB's iconic red jersey, with the new ball in hand, enough to give him goosebumps. But the ultimate dream still remains to be wearing India’s blue jersey.

"How exciting it will be to wear the RCB jersey and have the ball in hand at the top of my run-up mark. I hope that this paves the way for me to wear the Indian team jersey and bowl the first ball for my country. That will be an out of the world feeling."

Rather than dwelling on IPL's magnitude, Mangesh plans to focus on absorbing lessons from Kohli, Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer to improve his craft. "We will have a team camp, where I will prepare alongside with Virat sir, Venky and Rajat bhaiyas. I will learn from them by playing a lot of practice matches and improve along the way. I will get to be in touch with them, so it is going to be very helpful for me."

What separates Mangesh from India's impressive stable of fast bowlers, Sharma argues, isn't just his left-arm pace - it's being that rare quick offering genuine all-round capabilities.

"The biggest thing is India has a lot of fast bowlers, but you won't get a perfect package like him. I can count them - Arshdeep, Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Shami. All of them are good bowlers. They play for India because they are good."

"But they won't be a batter or fielder like them. It's not that he is my child. I am talking about the language of cricket. Being a cricketer, he is a perfect package. In the future, if God keeps him healthy, you will see him play for India in a year or two."

The financial windfall from the life-changing IPL deal means Mangesh can fulfill his off-field aspirations. Marrying off his three sisters with pomp and splendour tops his priority list, followed by giving his father respite from decades of grueling truck driving work and buying a house to end the family’s stay in a rented home.

His message to aspiring cricketers reflects hard-earned wisdom - that talent alone isn't enough, that even strong performances don't guarantee selection, and that persistence matters more than immediate results.

"What I have felt through my cricketing journey is without struggle, you won't get anything. You won't get anything easy and if you're playing cricket, you'll have to put in more effort, including the double of what is expected usually, as there are times when you won't get selected even if you perform well.

“You definitely won't get selected even if you don't perform well. So you have to accept that God is always watching you, you just have to work hard and he will give you whatever you want at the right time.

“You just have to be true to yourself and your efforts. My seniors always tell me that I have to put my head down and play cricket. So it's important to respect everyone and keep your head down and play well when on the field," signed off Mangesh.

--IANS

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