At the IPL 2026 mega auction one player surprised everyone when RCB made a big bid for him even though he had played only 2 T20 matches so far. RCB bought Mangesh Yadav for Rs 5.20 crore while his base price was Rs 30 lakh. Mangesh is a left-handed fast-bowling all-rounder who can play big shots lower down the batting order. This year he got a chance to play two matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) where in one innings he scored 28 runs at an excellent strike rate of 233.33 and also took three wickets. Mangesh Yadav played for Gwalior Chitaz in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League Earlier this year Mangesh Yadav played for Gwalior Chitaz in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League and performed brilliantly. Playing alongside Rajat Patidar he took 16 wickets in six matches at an average of just 12 impressing everyone with his bowling. However his bowling stats in the SMAT were not as strong giving away 47 and 38 runs in the two matches he played. Still his strong performance in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League earned him recognition which led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to bid a huge Rs 5.2 crore for him. More About Mangesh Yadav Mangesh Yadav had a difficult start in life. His father used to work as a truck driver. Born in a simple family Mangeshs father Ramavadh Yadav left their ancestral home in Kaithwali village Mau and settled in Pandhurna district of Madhya Pradesh. There in the Borgaon area he lived in a rented house and worked as a truck driver. From a young age Mangesh loved cricket more than anything else. Until seven years ago Mangesh played tennis-ball cricket for money travelling in general train compartments or state buses to take part in local tournaments in Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The money he earned from these matches helped him support himself. Not having to ask my father for money felt like an achievement he says. Today I still dont know how to process the feeling of getting such a massive bid. I want to make my parents feel comfortable. For that I have to work hard and cant get carried away. My mother used to lob balls at me in front of our house in Boragaon when I was seven. Thats how I started. My father drives trucks. I realised the value of money and hard work when I saw him wake up every morning at 3am and drive through the day on dangerous roads. He has worked hard for the family all these years. Now I want to make him comfortable. My youngest sister [theyre four siblings] loves cricket and is an aspiring bowler. I want to be able to inspire her to play full time too without worrying about finances.