A man who was pivotal to Chhattisgarh’s maiden win in the Ranji Trophy, Ajay Jadav Mandal, in his own words, is primarily a left-handed batter whose coach forced him to work on his left-arm spin. In that fateful game against Tripura back in 2016, Mandal picked up 3/41 in the first innings and returned with 4/55 in the second to set-up a win for his team. He’s a product of Chattisgarh’s age group cricket and made his Ranji debut, along with Chattisgarh’s, in the 2016-17 season. More than just a handy pinch-hitter with the bat and a wily spinner, Mandal got his first IPL bid from the Chennai Super Kings in 2023. He didn’t, however, feature in a game for them. He was picked up by the Delhi Capitals in 2025.