The all-rounder had shifted his base from Uttar Pradesh to Noida at 16.
The reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) second highest bid of the IPL 2026 auction was for a 23-year-old player from Madhya Pradesh. After acquiring the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore, the franchise went all-in for the pace-bowling all-rounder, to secure the deal at a huge sum of INR 5.20 crore.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were equally interested in roping in the youngster in their squad, as they continued the bidding war with the Bengaluru management. However, though they had failed to lock in the deal, there is a former SRH player’s huge contribution to introducing the seamer into the stage of opportunities.
The 16-year-old Mangesh had moved to Noida from Uttar Pradesh to pursue cricket professionally and had impressed their former state captain Tanmay Srivastava with his skills. When the former UP batter could not manage a spot for the all-rounder in their side, he had urged the Madhya Pradesh bowler Anand Rajan to arrange opportunities for the youngster.
“Tanmay and I go back a long way. He told me, ‘I’m sending this young kid to you. He’s very good. Take care of him. See if he can get some opportunities in MP.’ I got him admitted to the same academy where Venkatesh Iyer plays – MYCC,” stated the ex-SRH player to ESPN.
But when Rajan noticed that the prodigy was not getting enough chances, his advice to Mangesh to shift to Jabalpur proved to be a game-changer. The all-rounder attracted several eyeballs by putting up a commendable display while representing the side.
“He was a consistent performer there, but even there, it wasn’t easy to get consistent chances. The idea of asking him to go to Jabalpur was to ensure more game time, since competition for places wasn’t as intense. He immediately made their district team, picking 35-40 wickets in a season,” he added.
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Following this, he made the headlines in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League 2025 to grab the attention of several franchises ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction. Mangesh bagged 14 scalps in six fixtures at an economy rate of 8.00. His heroics with the ball also included three four-wicket hauls, which was the highest in this edition of the tournament.
Moreover, the all-rounder had whacked 60 runs in five innings at a blazing strike rate of 206.90. He has also displayed this fierce form with the willow in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025. Besides snaring three wickets in two appearances, Mangesh put up a quickfire 12-ball 28 facing Punjab.
Considering his latest performances, the youngster could prove to be a great addition to the side’s IPL 2026 squad. He has also dismissed the ex-RCB player Mahipal Lomror in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 opener.
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