Mayank Markande

One of those true blue IPL products, Mayank Markande is a young leg-spinner, with a googly that's good enough to trick the best in the business. He started off as a medium pacer, but his coach on spotting his small frame and a good slower one from the back of his hand, convinced him to switch to leg-spin in his teens.

He made his List A and T20 debuts in the 2018 domestic season for Punjab as a 20-year-old and played a handful of matches. In what is a testimony to Mumbai Indians' scouting team, Markande was picked up from nowhere in the 2018 auction for 20 lakhs after he impressed the think tank in the pre-auction trials. He won over the captain's confidence as well in the nets and was thrown into the deep sea straightaway as Mumbai chose to field him in their starting eleven over bigger names.

In what would perhaps be the biggest moment in his life, Mayank trapped MS Dhoni LBW with a sharp googly which the senior pro didn't read to get his first IPL wicket. He followed it up with a four-fer against Sunrisers Hyderabad and vital wickets against most teams in the first half of the league - leading to him having the purple cap for a significant amount of time.

The word on the ground was quick to spread and he was named as a part of the India A squad in the quadrangular One-Day series, followed by a spot to play the Deodhar Trophy even before making his First Class debut. In his maiden Ranji season that followed, he emerged as Punjab's leading wicket-taker with 29 wickets. As he wrapped up the England Lions with an impressive fifer for India A early in 2019, he received the proof of his ever-rocketing stocks - a maiden call up for the national T20I side against the touring Australians, a selection which even by his own admission was an out of the blue surprise.

In terms of IPL, with the emergence of Rahul Chahar and a few injury setbacks, Markande’s opportunities became limited at Mumbai Indians. He later moved across franchises - Delhi Capitals and then Rajasthan Royals, where he had sporadic appearances. His resurgence came with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he showed glimpses of his old self, finishing IPL 2023 with 12 wickets in 10 matches, reinforcing his value as an attacking middle-overs option.

Overall, Markande has played 35+ IPL matches and picked up around 35-odd wickets, maintaining a reputation as a bowler who looks to take wickets rather than just contain runs. His strength remains his variations, particularly the googly and his willingness to attack in the middle overs.

Markande is likely to be part of the Mumbai Indians squad but may find opportunities limited due to strong competition among the team’s bowling options. While he possesses the skillset of a strike leg-spinner capable of breaking partnerships in the middle overs, his chances will depend on team combinations and conditions. If he manages to stay consistent, maintain fitness and make the most of any opportunities that come his way, he can still push to re-establish himself as a valuable T20 asset.