IPL 2022 | Sanjay Yadav: A UP lad who defied odds and made it to the most successful IPL team

After five years of relentless grind in domestic cricket and a few unrewarding stints with IPL franchises, the sun finally rose for spin-bowling all-rounder Sanjay Yadav as he debuted in the cash-rich league in Mumbai Indians' fixture against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Yadav, a left-arm orthodox and a classical batter, has been a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past but his quest for the elusive IPL cap ended on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old cricketer was a seamer until he was 15, before he was told that he didn't have enough pace.

He transformed himself into a left-arm orthodox and worked his way up the pegging order with impressive performances in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.

Yadav transformed himself into a spin-bowling all-rounder, and his exploits earned him a spot in the state's T20 team.

But, with Tamil Nadu stacked with spin-bowling options, Yadav shifted to Meghalaya, and the move paid dividends.

The left-handed batsman made quite an impression with both bat and ball during his Ranji Trophy debut in 2020, claiming figures of 9/52 against Nagaland and 8/31 against Puducherry. 

In the following fixture against Mizoram, he came within reach of breaking Kedar Jadhav's record (300 off 285 deliveries in 2012/13) of scoring the fastest triple ton, but Meghalaya chose to declare at 662/4.

Yadav backed up his incredible batting performance by claiming six wickets across two innings.

He also showcased his prowess as a T20 all-rounder during that season's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when he scored a match-winning 44-ball 55 against Mumbai after Meghalaya had slipped to 41/3 in their run-chase of 158.

His performance made quite an impression on the scouts of SRH, who invited him for trials ahead of the 2020 auction.

Yadav scored an 18-ball 40 besides conceding just 18 runs in two overs, and it was enough for SunRisers to pick him for Rs 20 Lakh in the auction.

This was his second gig with an IPL franchise, following the maiden gig with the Knight Riders in 2017.

Sanjay Yadav- A UP lad who defied odds to realize his dream

Sanjay is one of the many young talents in this country who, despite knowing the ground realities of their life, dared to dream and dream big.

Sanjay was born to a daily wage earner in the holy city of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh in 1995.

His father is a painter, and in 2000, his family moved to an industrial town close to Bengaluru to search for a better life.

Sanjay and his younger brother, who has featured in the U23 CK Nayudu Trophy, started playing cricket with the tennis ball but almost gave up the sport due to their family's financial situation.

However, the Future India Cricket Academy head in Hosur, Premmnath, proved to be the Messiah for young boys.

So impressed was Premmnath with the talent of the Yadav brothers that he offered them free admission to his academy besides assuring them that he would take care of their expenses.

"I used to play tennis-ball cricket in school, and we used to get invitations to play tournaments in Chennai. My PT teacher saw something in me, and then Premnath sir asked me to join his academy in Hosur. They knew about my financial problems, and I didn't attend their camp for six months. 

Then they came to my school again, and I told them again kaasu illa [I don't have money]. So he allowed us to practice for free, and even till today, the academy is helping Sonu and me," said Sanjay in an interview with Cricinfo in 2020.

"I always keep in touch with sir. Even yesterday, sir told me everyone scores hundreds these days, and I need to score big hundreds to get noticed and go to the next level. Every decision I or Sonu take in life, we ask Premnath, sir," he added.

On Tuesday, Premmnath's support and Sanjay's hard work finally came to a futrition when he strolled out to the ground wearing the jersey of the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL.

He bowled two wicketless overs for 23 and will be looking to perform better in the last league game of the ongoing season.