From rented room of ₹1,200 to ₹5.20 cr IPL star:Mangesh Yadav turns small-room struggle into stardom; father says, ‘Our dream is to see him play for India’

In Borgaon village, about 35 km from Pandhurna district headquarters, a cramped 10 by 10 room tucked inside a narrow, dirty alley has been home to six people. The single room—with a tiny attached kitchen—is where the family sleeps, eats, and lives. There isn’t space even to place a chair when someone visits. The monthly rent is just Rs 1,200. This modest house belongs to Mangesh Yadav, whose fortunes have taken a dramatic turn. The all-rounder, who made his domestic cricket debut on December 14, has now hit the big league. In the IPL 2026 auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked him up for Rs 5.20 crore—a staggering 17.5 times higher than his base price of Rs 30 lakh. The 23-year-old all-rounder Mangesh plays domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh. On the second day of the auction, the Dainik Bhaskar team reached the village in the morning. They spoke to his parents and coach to learn about his career. Life in a ₹1200 rupee rented room Medals on wall, trophies in cupboard
Mangesh’s sisters have decorated the room. They have painted floral designs on the wall. One special thing was noticed: whether it’s the cupboard or the tent in the room, only trophies are visible everywhere. Medals are hanging on the wall. Five to six people from the neighbourhood are present in the room. It feels like a crowd. While filming at home, I noticed a large pot (‘bhagoni’) on the gas stove with tea, showing that visitors were being served in the cold. Many people also brought sweets. The house was so crowded that I couldn’t approach Mangesh’s parents. Neighbours handed the parents a box of sweets, saying, “You both should feed each other—this is the fruit of your patience and hard work.” The parents immediately fed each other sweets. Mangesh Yadav’s father shares emotional joy Ram Avadh Yadav, Mangesh’s father, choked while talking about his son. He said, He is currently in Pune. On Tuesday night, around 9:30 PM, his call came. He was crying, his voice wasn’t even coming out. Hearing him, our hearts also filled with emotion. I gave the phone to his mother. The phone was on speaker. He said- I have been selected. Well, his dream has come true. Awadhji, originally from Uttar Pradesh, drives a truck for a private factory. He says, I have been driving for 22 years. I started the job with one thousand rupees. Even today, I get 10 thousand. If I go out somewhere with the truck, I get an allowance; if not, I don’t. The rent for this house alone is 1200 rupees a month. 300-400 rupees go towards electricity. I wanted my children to study well and get jobs. Despite not having the means, I sent him to a private school. But his interest was more in playing than in studying. We definitely told him to play, but that he should also study. Mangesh studied up to 12th grade. After that, he quit studying. When asked about building a new house now that their son has become a millionaire, he says, No, we don’t want anything. We just want him to play. Our dream will only be fulfilled when he plays for the Indian team once. Mangesh Yadav’s mother remembers struggles Mangesh’s mother, Reeta Yadav, first offered sweets and when asked about, ‘Are you happy?’ She said she couldn’t sleep all night, remembering his childhood. She said, He was born in this same village on October 10, 2002. We went through so much trouble to raise him. Our family’s financial situation was never good. There was always a shortage of money. We managed to get him admitted to a private school with great difficulty, but we couldn’t pay the fees for six months at a time. Mangesh’s father used to drive and somehow managed to deposit the fees by saving a little. We have to run the house, we have three daughters, only we know how we make ends meet. We somehow managed to educate Mangesh up to 12th grade in the village. After that, he went to Noida to play cricket. Used to give gift prizes to ground staff