Always dreamt of playing in the IPL: Mayers

Kyle Mayers was part of the 2022 IPL season with the Lucknow Super Giants but an opportunity never came his way, due to the availability of both Evin Lewis and Quinton de Kock. However, this season, the unavailability of de Kock for the first game of the season allowed the opportunity for the franchise to hand an IPL debut to the West Indian. 

And, it came at just the right time, with a stunning 38-ball 73, that included seven sixes and just the two boundaries. But he had luck go his way, with Khaleel Ahmed dropping him pretty on in the innings when he was on 14, and in the powerplay. 

“It was very important, always dreamt of playing in the IPL. To get an opportunity today, I just wanted to show my ability,” Mayers said in the post-match press conference. 

Lucknow is generally known for its slow surface, and it wasn’t any new with variable bounce making the batters' life extremely difficult. 

“It was a new surface, none of the teammates had played on this surface. My role was to assess the pitch and the conditions, I just stuck to my plan after facing a few deliveries in the middle. Tried to maximize whenever it was possible,” he added.

“Pitch was on the slower side, variable bounce but it is always difficult for the batters on such a surface. It is a massive moment for us, to play in front of our home crowd for the first time, it is always good. We wanted to get the start, the crowd came in numbers to support us, it was a great start.”

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Even though Mayers’ knock was integral, Mark Wood blew the Capitals apart with a stunning spell that saw him take five wickets, conceding just 14 runs. 

“I thought it was a fantastic battle, this surface was a bit up and down, and Mark Wood made the fullest use of it. Very happy for him.”

Mayers revealed that even though playing chances were none for him last season, the learning opportunities were endless, something that had helped him grow as an international cricketer. 

“Of course, I was here last year. Didn’t get an opportunity to play last year but was with the team. Being here is phenomenal for me. I learnt a lot from the players and the coaches off the field. It helped me in international cricket. Getting an opportunity, it was good. It was a great game, and it was quite tough for our spinners but we did well."