IPL 2018: It took 37 calls and 300 texts for Mayank Markande to realize he was picked in the auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the lives of many young local cricketers since its inception. While the tournament has worked wonders for a lot of players, only a few have been able to keep their calm and perform consistently over the years. These players have attracted a lot of bids at the auction as well. Though it is somewhat different feelings for some who get picked for the first time for any franchise. However, young leg-spinner Mayank Markande has revealed his story on the auction day when Mumbai Indians had picked him.

Mayank had a sleepless night ahead of the auction day and was featuring for Punjab in an Under-23 game when Mumbai Indians snapped him up for Rs 20 Lakhs. According to the rules, the cricketers are not allowed to use their mobile phones during the match-days and the leggie was unknown about the fact that he will be playing in the cash-rich tournament.

I had 37 missed calls and 300 messages

Mayank Markande is currently with the Mumbai Indians squad and is gearing up for the opening encounter of the IPL on April 7. He recalled that he was unaware that MI has picked him in the auction and only got to know it in the evening after the match after switching his mobile on. “On match days, you are not allowed to use your phone at the ground. But when I finally switched it on in the evening, I had 37 missed calls and 300 messages,” he told the official website of Mumbai Indians.

However, he only believed that the news was true when the team manager of the Mumbai franchise called him and congratulated for the same. “I rang up a few friends and they told me that the Mumbai Indians had picked me. I didn’t believe them. Then, I received a call from Mr Rahul Sanghvi (Mumbai’s team manager). I was finally convinced. And I thanked him wholeheartedly,” he added.

The 23-year-old was not at all hopeful of being picked by MI after the trails for them and had prepared himself to do work hard in the next couple of years. “I had performed well at the Mumbai Indians 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,” Mayank concluded.

Here’s our video of the day:

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