IPL 2018 | Mumbai Indians’ Mayank Markande reveals that he had 37 missed calls and 300 messages after auction
Mayank Markande was picked by Mumbai Indians for his base price of 20 lakh in this year’s auction and despite 37 missed calls and 300 text messages, the Punjab spinner didn’t believe that he was selected. It was only a call from MI’s team manager that made him believe that he was actually picked.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all about unearthing new talent and helping those players grow. It is about stories of players’ journey to the top, it is about how they cope with the pressure of the big stage and there is absolutely no doubt that has changed the life of a lot of players - Indian and overseas. The IPL throws up a lot of names that the world or even India hasn’t heard of. One such name is Mayank Markande. Not a lot of people would’ve heard that name, but Mumbai Indians did know back in January as they picked up this young 20-year-old leg-spinner from Punjab.
Mayank Markande was flying to Bangalore a day before the auction for an Under-23 BCCI tournament in which he was representing his state Punjab. And it was a massive day for the 20-year youngster who was playing the game during the auction and had no access to his phone. It has become a story of 37 missed calls and 300 messages.
“We had a game the following day, but I just couldn’t sleep that night. On match days, you are not allowed to use your phone
Mayank has represented Punjab in four T20 games and 6 List ‘A’ games. He played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy just ahead of the IPL auctions and had also attended the trials for Mumbai Indians. He took 5 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and 10 wickets in the subsequent Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“I didn’t believe them. Then, I received a call from Mr Rahul Sanghvi (Team Manager — Cricket, Mumbai Indians). I was finally convinced. And I thanked him wholeheartedly. I had performed well at the MI trials, but I never thought I would be picked at the auction. As a matter of fact, I was mentally prepared to work hard for another couple of years and do well in domestic cricket. I wasn’t thinking about playing in the Vivo IPL all that much,” he said.
Like most of the cricketers, Mayank Markande started playing at a young age and gradually grew.
“I started playing cricket at the age of 10 or 11. I used to be a fast bowler. But I wasn’t all that quick. The coaches at the academy I went to advised me to give up fast bowling. Also, they were impressed with the fact that I used to bowl the back-of-the-hand slower one very well. So, they suggested that I switch to leg-spin. Then, I worked on it for a couple of years. Given that I already knew to bowl the googly, things panned out pretty well,” the 20-year-old revealed.
“I used to follow his (Warne’s) performances and bowling very closely. Right now, my favourite player is Rohit Sharma. I met him at the MI camp. It was my first meeting with him. He treated me very well. He spoke so positively. I hope he teaches me how to approach the game. I am sure I will get to learn a lot from him,” he said.
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