Young pacer Mangesh Yadav may have spent much of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title-winning IPL 2025 campaign outside the playing XI, but the ₹5.2 crore buy says the season transformed his understanding of professional cricket — from the discipline of Virat Kohli to the tactical generosity of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

From Domestic Cricket to the IPL Dressing Room

Mangesh, who represents Gwalior Cheetahs in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League (MPL), said the leap from domestic cricket to the IPL is defined above all by the density of experience around a young player. 'When you go from domestic to IPL, you share the dressing room with Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and all the other players,' he said. In domestic cricket, he noted, the learning curve exists but is narrower — senior players are fewer and the overall experience pool shallower.

The difference, he explained, is immediately practical. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he pointed out, carries at least 200 T20 matches of experience, as does Hazlewood. 'You get to learn from them daily,' Mangesh said.

Lessons from the Sidelines

Despite not getting regular on-field opportunities, Mangesh said his role as a waterboy during matches offered a close-up view of elite team culture. 'When we used to go in as waterboys and talk about matches, it felt very intact that you don't want to leave the match in the middle, and you want to play as a team. Not a single moment felt like we had won. Until the match is won, you want to play as a team,' he said.

The coaching staff — he referred to DK sir and Andy sir — kept him on alert throughout the tournament, repeatedly telling him to stay match-ready. 'You can play a match anytime. If anyone gets injured, you are going to play,' he recalled being told. That message, he said, shaped his preparation for every practice session.

What Kohli, Hazlewood, and Bhuvneshwar Taught Him

On the specific lessons absorbed, Mangesh was emphatic about discipline being the defining quality of the title-winning dressing room. 'The biggest learning was that everyone was very disciplined about their work. Everyone is having fun, but they know that when we go to the ground, we have to react, be aggressive, and be on our game,' he said.

He pointed to Hazlewood's pre-bowling routine as an example: 'Josh Hazlewood comes, and he does his warm-up first. Then he goes and bowls. It is not like he won't warm up if he's feeling good on a particular day. Same with Bhuvi.' The takeaway, for Mangesh, was that small routines compound into elite performance. 'Small things make it big. We always take our warm-up lightly. But that is the most important role for a player,' he said.

On Kohli specifically, Mangesh was succinct: 'Kohli has given a different definition to discipline, because everyone knows about his discipline and how seriously he takes everything.'

He also described a tactical exchange with Hazlewood that left a lasting impression. 'I asked Josh Hazlewood what we could do in that situation. He explained it to me with a lot of love... It was mind-blowing for me because I wasn't even thinking about it,' Mangesh recalled. A similar interaction with Bhuvneshwar helped him fix technical issues quickly. 'The things that were troubling me, they had so much experience. So they had a solution,' he said.

Praise for Captain Rajat Patidar

Having played under Rajat Patidar at both RCB and with Gwalior Cheetahs in the MPL, Mangesh reserved particular praise for the captain's man-management. 'It is completely pressure-free to play under him,' he said. Patidar's method, he explained, is to ask a bowler for their own plan before offering one — a contrast to captains who impose tactics regardless of the bowler's instincts.

'If you give another plan to a bowler, he will not be able to do it at all, because he also has a plan,' Mangesh said, adding that Patidar's composure when a delivery is hit for a six is equally important to a fast bowler. 'As a bowler, I feel that if I bowl and get a six, my first look goes to my captain to see what he has to say. And he doesn't get angry at all. So, it feels very motivating,' he noted.

Looking Ahead: MPL Form and the Road to Becoming a Pro

Mangesh acknowledged that his economy rate has been on the higher side in the opening matches of the ongoing MPL, but attributed it to a lack of recent match practice rather than any technical deficiency. 'Every day is not the same in cricket. Sometimes, you get hit. Sometimes, you don't... I haven't played a match for a long time, so there is a little bit of a lack of match practice,' he said, expressing confidence that rhythm would return.

With an IPL contract secured and better resources now available, Mangesh said he has mapped out a structured improvement plan covering fitness and skills. 'RCB has given me so much money. So I have to become a pro. And I am absolutely ready for that,' he said. He is currently working with his mentor, who also serves as the team's trainer, on a gym and conditioning programme. With the title-winning experience of IPL 2025 behind him, Mangesh Yadav appears determined to convert a breakthrough season into a long-term career.