R Sanjay Yadav

In the era of T20 cricket, Sanjay Yadav is a perfect player to have in each and every format of the game. In just a short domestic career, Sanjay has already made headlines with his all-round exploits. An exceptional all-round record in his domestic career has finally landed him with an IPL contract after he was snapped up by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It is highly unlikely that Yadav will get to play in the tournament but rubbing shoulders with some greats of the game will surely help him in the future. 

A left-handed batting all-rounder, Sanjay Yadav is from the Ravindra Jadeja mold. He is an attacking batsman and can also play as a frontline spinner alone. He has already bagged 55 wickets in 9 first-class games and his batting record isn’t far away from his bowling exploits. He has already scored 603 runs in his 9 match career with a career-best of 254. 

Not many would know that despite his brilliance with left-arm spin, it didn’t come naturally to him. He was a left-arm seamer until 15. However, he was suggested by his coaches to shift to spin as he didn’t have enough pace. In a short span of time, Sanjay broke into the Tamil Nadu district side as a left-arm finger spinner. 

Slowly and steadily, Yadav started working on his all-round skills and soon turned into a powerful hitter of the ball. He made a mark in the 2017 Tamil Nadu Premier League but he was left with limited opportunities owing to a settled Tamil Nadu line-up. The move to Meghalaya paid rich dividends as he made a mark as an all-round player. 

Sanjay made a sensational Ranji Trophy debut for Meghalaya when he bagged 9/52 against Nagaland and followed it up with another spell of 8/31 against Puducherry. Even with the bat, he made an instant impact scoring a sensational 254 and was in line to break Kedar Jadhav’s record for the fastest triple century in Ranji Trophy. However, Meghalaya declared with his personal score reading 254 of 228. 

He played for Tamil Nadu in his initial years but a move to Meghalaya totally turned his career around. Sanjay came into the limelight when Kolkata Knight Riders bought him at a base price of Rs 10 lakhs in the 2017 IPL. However, he had to warm the benches and was picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the 2020 IPL. He is yet to make debut for the franchise and will be eagerly waiting to grab his opportunity. 

The all-rounder still holds the record for the third-best bowling figures in the Ranji Trophy in India and has been one of Meghalaya’s key bowlers in recent years. While he started the game as a batter early in his career, he has transitioned into a complete all-rounder with time. Now he is a utility bowler and a big-hitter lower down the order.

Sanjay Yadav was bought by the Mumbai Indians (MI) during the 2022 edition of the IPL Mega Auction for his base price of INR 20 lakhs. The Gorakhpur-born will be looking forward to bringing his A-game into the league, provided he gets an opportunity.

(As of March 2022)