Mayank Markande IPL Stats, Price, Runs, Age, Century, Debut, Team

Mayank Markande is an Indian leg-spinner from Bathinda, Punjab, who announced himself to the cricketing world with one of the most memorable debuts in IPL history. Picked up by Mumbai Indians for just Rs 20 lakh in the 2018 auction, the young wrist-spinner walked into his very first match against Chennai Super Kings and dismantled their famed batting line-up with figures of 3 for 23, including the prized wicket of MS Dhoni with a googly the great finisher simply did not pick.

That debut season set a standard he has chased ever since. Markande finished the 2018 campaign as Mumbai Indians’ leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets from 14 matches, briefly holding the Purple Cap in the early weeks of the tournament and becoming the first bowler in the franchise’s history to take a three-wicket haul on IPL debut. His rise was so rapid that he was fast-tracked into India’s T20I side, earning his maiden cap against Australia in Visakhapatnam in February 2019.

The years since have been a journeyman story of trades, auctions and comebacks. Markande has been part of the Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders squads, and ahead of the 2026 season he was traded back to Mumbai Indians from KKR. Across around 40 IPL matches he has collected 37 wickets with best figures of 4 for 15, a reminder of the wicket-taking threat he carries whenever a captain trusts him with a full spell.

Mayank Markande IPL Career Overview

Across his IPL journey, Markande has played roughly 40 matches and taken 37 wickets, averaging almost exactly one wicket per appearance. His career economy rate sits around 9.16, which reflects both the attacking nature of wrist-spin and the pressure of bowling in high-scoring T20 contests. His best figures of 4 for 15 underline his ability to run through a batting order on his day, and he has two four-wicket hauls to his name.

The defining feature of his career is its arc: a spectacular 2018 debut season followed by years of limited opportunities, mid-season trades and long spells on the bench, then a genuine second wind at Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2023 and 2024, where he claimed 20 wickets across the two seasons. Few Indian wrist-spinners have had such a stop-start IPL ride, and fewer still have kept finding their way back into squads year after year.

He also carries the honour of being an IPL champion, having been part of the Mumbai Indians squad that lifted the trophy in 2019, even though his personal contribution that season was limited to three matches.

Auction History and Price

Markande’s auction trail tells the story of a bowler teams keep coming back to. Mumbai Indians bought him for Rs 20 lakh in 2018 and kept that contract into 2019. Ahead of the 2020 season he was traded twice in quick succession, first to Delhi Capitals and then on to Rajasthan Royals, who held his rights at a Rs 2 crore valuation across 2020 and 2021.

Mumbai bought him back for Rs 65 lakh in the 2022 auction, though he played only two matches that year. Sunrisers Hyderabad then picked him up for Rs 50 lakh in 2023 and retained him for 2024, finally giving him the sustained run of games he had been waiting for. Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for Rs 30 lakh in the 2025 mega auction but did not play him in a single match all season. Ahead of the 2026 season, Mumbai Indians traded him back from KKR at Rs 30 lakh, bringing him home to the franchise where it all began. His total IPL earnings across his career stand at roughly Rs 3.05 crore.

Season-by-Season Performance

The numbers make one thing clear: Markande has always delivered when given a run of matches. His two most productive phases, the 2018 season with Mumbai and the 2023-24 stint with Hyderabad, came when captains backed him with overs rather than parking him on the bench.

Bowling Style and Strengths

Markande is a right-arm leg-break bowler whose greatest weapon is deception in the air. His googly is famously difficult to pick, as MS Dhoni discovered on his IPL debut, and he likes to toss the ball up and invite the batter to take risks against him. On turning tracks he can be genuinely unplayable, and his slider gives him a variation to keep right-handers honest.

What makes his story unusual is that he did not even start out as a spinner. Markande began his cricket journey as a pacer before his coach nudged him toward leg-spin, and that single piece of advice changed everything. The shift paid off quickly in domestic cricket: in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy he finished as Punjab’s leading wicket-taker with 26 wickets from just six matches, the form that underpinned his IPL breakthrough.

Key Performances

The debut against Chennai Super Kings in 2018 remains the performance everything else is measured against. Thrown the ball in his first-ever IPL match, Markande returned 3 for 23 and dismissed Dhoni with a googly that left the Chennai crowd stunned. It remains one of the great IPL debuts by an uncapped Indian player.

His career-best figures of 4 for 15 showed what he could do with rhythm and confidence, and his 15-wicket haul across the 2018 season earned him a brief spell wearing the Purple Cap. The Sunrisers Hyderabad phase added quieter but valuable contributions, with 20 wickets across the 2023 and 2024 seasons proving he could still be a reliable middle-overs operator when trusted.

Teams Played For

Markande’s IPL journey has taken him through five franchises, though his on-field story belongs mainly to three of them. Mumbai Indians gave him his debut, his best season and an IPL winners’ medal in 2019, and have now brought him back for a third stint ahead of 2026. Rajasthan Royals held his contract across 2020 and 2021 after a double trade, but game time was scarce. Sunrisers Hyderabad revived his career in 2023 and 2024 with regular selection.

Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders complete the list, though he never played a match for either franchise, spending the entire 2025 season on KKR’s bench behind Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy.

FAQs

When did Mayank Markande make his IPL debut?

Markande made his IPL debut in the 2018 season for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings. He took 3 wickets for 23 runs, including the wicket of MS Dhoni with a googly.

What are Mayank Markande’s best bowling figures in the IPL?

His best bowling figures in the IPL are 4 wickets for 15 runs. He has two four-wicket hauls in his IPL career.

Which team does Mayank Markande play for now?

Ahead of the 2026 season, Markande was traded from Kolkata Knight Riders back to Mumbai Indians, the franchise where he made his IPL debut in 2018.

How much was Mayank Markande bought for in the latest deal?

He moved to Mumbai Indians from KKR at Rs 30 lakh ahead of the 2026 season. His total IPL earnings across his career stand at roughly Rs 3.05 crore.

How many wickets has Mayank Markande taken in the IPL?

Markande has taken 37 wickets in around 40 IPL matches, averaging almost exactly one wicket per appearance, with a career economy rate of around 9.16.