The match between the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 16 is a true IPL four-pointer where Yash Thakur performed his magic. LSG had produced 177 on a difficult surface, but it does not appear to be enough as Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma begin setting up for the five-time IPL champions. Both are ejected in rapid succession, and LSG suddenly appears to have a chance in the game. MI is 115-2 after 14 overs and has two relatively new hitters at the crease.
Suryakumar Yadav is one of them, and as long as he is there, MI are favourites. The ball is passed to Yash Thakur. The teenager has bowled two overs and has given up 22 runs without taking a wicket.
There are also whispers that he was not the proper Impact Player for LSG to bring in, particularly on a track that had turned in the early innings. Yash is unconcerned about any of this. With MI needing 63 off six overs, the game might get away from him if he lets it. He may break it open for his side if he so desires.
Those who have only seen him in the IPL believe that the bowler would struggle due to his inexperience. People who have seen him play domestic cricket know that he has a few tricks up his sleeve.
And after only one ball in the 15th over, the latter is confirmed.
Yash Thakur bowls the ball on a length, which is just the type of delivery Suryakumar likes to scoop for amusement. This one is a little slower, indicating that he is still early in his stroke and ends up hitting it right into the off stump.
It is not the type of dismissal you would expect from Suryakumar, who is so skilled with this stroke. But it happened tonight because a youngster was gutsy enough to throw the ball outside off and fool Suryakumar while playing his favourite stroke.
But that is not all Yash accomplished that night. When MI needs 39 off three overs, he is given charge once more. His over does not begin with a wicket this time. In fact, he bowls a wide and a no ball before finally defeating Vishnu Vinod.
Yash Thakur has remained calm under pressure in the IPL.
What the over did show was that Yash had enough conviction to keep attempting yorkers, despite being in the midst of the IPL’s pressure cauldron. He was bowling to Tim David, one of the most frightening hitters in the IPL during the over.
Yash Thakur continued to hit those yorkers, like he does in domestic cricket. Yes, he let up 40 runs in four overs, which was somewhat more than the number of runs LSG would have like him to give up in an IPL game where his side scored only 177. He bowled two great wicket taking overs which were important for the outcome of the game.
Yash Thakur and Domestic Cricket
Yash Thakur bowls these difficult overs for Vidarbha on a regular basis in domestic cricket. He has given up 7.72 runs per over at the death in all T20 games. He has also bowled 139 balls in this phase, which is a sufficient sample size.
He was Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy’s 6th highest wicket taker. He has taken 63 wickets at an economy rate of 7.08, an average of 16.12, and a strike rate of 13.6 in his 44 match T20 career.
So what he performed in Lucknow against the strong five-time IPL champions was no fluke. It was the kind of performance that people in the domestic know-how had always expected him to be able to reproduce.
Yash Thakur has eight wickets in seven IPL matches this season and has frequently bowled at the finish for LSG. It is commonly stated that the IPL makes or breaks players. With regard to Yash, based on what thousands of fans observed on Tuesday, you can not help but think the former.
