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Follow UsWhen Bevon-John Jacobs was three, his entire family decided to move 12,216 km from Pretoria to Auckland; little did they know that their son would be a future IPL superstar in just two decades.
The 22-year-old, who only made his T20 debut earlier last year, caught the attention of the Mumbai Indians’ scouts at the KFC T20 Max [in Queensland], where he smashed a hundred off just 40 balls.
But when he went to sleep in Auckland, an IPL contract wasn’t on his mind, with an eye on waking up at 5.30 AM for his everyday routine practice. Non-stop buzzing, courtesy of Mumbai Indians’ INR 30 lakh bid, was enough to shake the land underneath the young cricketer.
“It was obviously a shock. I woke up this morning with my phone going off the hook. It was a pleasant surprise, and I didn’t expect it, but I’m grateful for this [IPL] opportunity,” Jacobs told New Zealand Cricket (NZC).
“When I went to bed, obviously, the auction was running until quite early in the morning. I thought I better sleep because I had to train in the morning. But then I woke up at 5.30 AM to about a million different messages from family and friends. It was pretty cool to wake up to that.”
While an IPL debut might seem a far mile away, there’s a very good opportunity for Bevon-John Jacobs to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in world cricket when he walks into the MI dressing room.
Despite growing up in Auckland, it was really at Canterbury where Jacobs made headlines when he smashed 138 off 78 balls for Sydenham in January 2023 - a record in Christchurch Metro Cricket.
Jacobs’ ability to smash the ball a long way in the T20 format was enough to spark an interest in the Indians’ camp, with 134 runs at a strike rate of 188.73.
“It's not something I thought would happen, but it's pretty awesome. I'll try and see how much I can learn over there, but yeah, I think what's important is also just knowing what's ahead of me now,” he added.
However, the 22-year-old thought all of this was a ‘prank’.
“I thought they were pranking me to start off with, but no, it was pretty awesome. It was pretty special to just get that message,” he recalls.
If not for his agent or the people around him, the Pretoria-born cricketer wouldn’t have even been at the IPL auction.
“Yeah, 100%. It was a bit of a last-minute decision. I'm pretty happy that I went with it, thanks to the good people around me who pushed me towards making the decision. I'm happy that I did, and I went into it not knowing what to expect. It will be a good opportunity to learn from the awesome environment,” he said.
“I'll definitely be picking their brains as much as I can and trying to learn from some of the best in the world, so yeah, it's really exciting,” he added.
Had you told him at the start of this season that an IPL contract was around the corner, there’s a strong chance that Bevon-John Jacobs would have bit your hands off.
“No, I wouldn't, like I said. It's surreal, and it's an awesome surprise, and I'll take the opportunity, whatever I get, with both hands and just learn as much as I can. But yeah, I don't think I would have believed you if you told me that at the start,” he said.
Over in Auckland, the 22-year-old has already got a bit of the MI flavour straight from Mitchell McClenaghan, who has mentored him. The left-arm seamer, who was part of MI’s successful campaign in 2017, has been closely helping the youngster, passing on the knowledge.
“Yes, Mitch [McClenaghan]. I mean, he's definitely one who’s been mentoring me well. I respect a lot of his opinions, and he's been shaping a little bit of what's been happening with my batting as of late. I've been doing a couple of things with him; it's been awesome. He's got an unbelievable amount of knowledge and experience, so it's really nice to be able to tap into that.”
So, what’s the ultimate aim for Jacobs?
"I think the Blackcaps is a dream of mine since I was a young kid, so I think that's always going to be, you know, first and foremost on the radar for me," Jacobs said.
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