With the T20 World Cup round the corner, Australia's former fast-bowling star Brett Lee is looking forward to India's latest pace sensation Mayank Yadav's progression with great anticipation, describing him as the "talk of the town."
Representing Lucknow Super Giants against Punjab Kings, Mayank (3/27) stole the limelight with his searing pace on his IPL debut.
In the 12th over of Punjab's innings, he bowled the season's fastest ball at 155.8 kmph and went viral on social media.
‘Excited to see how he progresses’
"First things first, I don't want to put any extra pressure on him, he is just 21. But he has got great pace and a nice action. I am super impressed with him, and really excited to see how he progresses in the next few months," Lee, a JioCinema IPL expert, said during a roundtable on Tuesday.
"Mayank Yadav is the talk of the town. He has crossed 155, and hopefully, he is able to bowl even quicker tonight. I am looking forward to seeing how he backs up,' Lee said before Lucknow Super Giants' game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Mayank's 150kmph thunderbolts amazed one and all during his side Lucknow Super Giants' 21-run win over Punjab Kings last Saturday.
His extra pace rattled Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma and led to PBKS' downfall. He consistently clocked 150kmph and above on the speedometer during his four-over spell, to be adjudged the player of the match.
When the discussion turned to Virat Kohli, Lee said big players such as the Indian batting maestro must be part of the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be held in the USA and West Indies across June.
"I would love to see big players playing in the T20 World Cup. I would love to see guys like Virat Kohli playing in World Cup," he said.
‘Still impressed with Bumrah’
While Mayank has caught his attention with his pace and action, Lee feels Jasprit Bumrah remains the world's best fast bowler but added he has not been used effectively enough.
"The bowler who impressed me the most (this IPL) from fast-bowling point of view, I am still impressed with Jasprit Bumrah. I don't think he has been used in the correct fashion. Though he was not at his best the other evening (on Monday against Rajasthan Royals).
"It was hard for him to control the swing because he has not bowled with the brand-new ball last couple of matches. I would always like to see Bumrah using the brand-new ball," Lee said.
Lee backs the two-bouncer rule
The Aussie also gave his thumbs up to the two-bouncer rule in the IPL, saying it has helped in maintaining a bit of balance between the bat and ball in a format that massively favours the batters.
"Two-bouncer rule is good. There are a lot of things that go against the bowlers. The two-bouncer rule allows the fast bowlers to plan the batter's dismissal.
Now they have got the option to bowl a short ball in the first ball and also the last ball.
Lee’s top four
When asked to pick his top four teams this IPL season, Lee put his money on Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
"I did a prediction at the start two weeks ago. I see Delhi Capitals finishing in top this season, I have got RCB, the girls have done it and it's time for the guys to step up, then there is CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad."
Asked about the 'Impact Player' rule, Lee said it "adds a lot of colour and value to the IPL".
"It comes down to how the teams use it, you can also argue if you win the toss you can pick the best combination. I think they might go back to the drawing board later, but at the moment, it's working nicely," Lee said.
‘Not concerned about Mumbai’
Speaking about Mumbai Indians' poor start to the tournament, Lee warned against writing them off keeping in mind their penchant to fight back after slow starts.
"They are the most successful team in IPL's history. I am not concerned about Mumbai Indians at the moment. They are showing signs of how good they are as a team. I think patience is the key."
MI have lost their first three matches.
