IPL and Delhi cricket stars Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana could be due to make their debuts in the first T20I against Bangladesh, to be played in Gwalior. In good news for India’s fast-bowling arsenal, the young pacers are likely to receive their first caps under captain Suryakumar Yadav, as per reports from Indian Express.

As India look to transition towards a new and more youthful era in T20 cricket after their World Cup win in 2024, the pair of 22-year-old pacers from Delhi could help lead the line in the fast-bowling department with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj rested for these matches.

Harshit Rana was one of the finds of the IPL, his consistent and pacy bowling helping Kolkata Knight Riders seal their third IPL title in 2024. Meanwhile, Mayank Yadav was one of the most exciting and promising domestic players on show, regularly notching speeds of 150 kmph in his short stint with the Lucknow Super Giants before it was interrupted by injury.

Both bowlers rejoin their IPL coaches

While Harshit Rana had travelled to Zimbabwe with the rotated team for the T20I series following the summer’s World Cup, he did not receive his debut in that series. Fellow Delhi native and new India coach Gautam Gambhir might be the one to give him his national team breakthrough, having been the mentor for KKR during their championship season this year.

Rana stood out with 19 wickets in 13 matches, rubbing shoulders with India regulars Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. He was particularly impressive in the playoffs, being very tough to score against as KKR dominated the run.

This is Yadav’s first call-up after injury rehabilitation in recent months, with the electric pacer from West Delhi cleared for match-time by the NCA’s team recently. Yadav is seen as one of the best prospects in Indian cricket at the moment, and will be re-joining his LSG bowling coach Morne Morkel after the South African’s appointment to Gambhir’s coaching staff.

The pair might make their respective debuts at Gwalior’s new Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Stadium, with international cricket returning to the Madhya Pradesh city for the first time in 14 years, since Sachin Tendulkar scored the first ever ODI double century at the venue.

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