Not many would know that Madhwal used to play tennis ball cricket until just four years ago.
Going up against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Mumbai Indians (MI) were in a make-or-break situation in the Indian Premier League 2023 Eliminator 1. But with seasoned pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer ruled out because of injuries, skipper Rohit Sharma’s squad seemed to lack some quality bowlers. But, 29-year-old Akash Madhwal proved the Mumbai Indians still had a formidable bowling attack.
Stellar Performance In IPL 2023 Eliminator:
A former civil engineer who used to play tennis ball cricket until just four years ago, Akash Madhwal gave a legendary performance in the Eliminator. Managing to claim a figure of 5/5 in 3.3 overs with an economy of 1.42 runs, Akash Madhwal was instrumental in bringing LSG to their knees from 69/2 to 101 all out. His haul included Prerak Mankad (3), Ayush Badoni (1), Nicholas Pooran (0), Ravi Bishnoi (3) and Mohsin Khan (0). His bowling performance is the best ever seen in an IPL playoff and helped secure Mumbai Indians a ride to the second qualifier with an 81-run win.
Here Are Some Facts About Wankhede’s Newest Bowling Sensation:
- Hailing from Dhandera in Roorkee, Uttrakhand, Akash Madhwal first started with tennis ball cricket as the state was not playing in the Ranji tournament. It was only after 2019 when he was trying out for Uttarakhand’s state team that he began playing red ball cricket.
- He is the first IPL player from Uttarakhand’s state team. Apart from this, he is also the skipper for the state’s white ball outfit. While Rishabh Pant is also from Uttrakhand originally, the wicketkeeper had played for Delhi’s domestic outfit before breaking out into the IPL. Interestingly, Akash Madhwal was coached under Avtar Singh, who was also Pant’s coach before Pant’s move to Delhi.
- Akash Madhwal has played a total of 10 FC and 17 List-A matches in his career. In addition, he has played in 29 T20 matches so far. In his T20 career, he has picked up 37 wickets with an economy of 7.51.
- Akash Madhwal originally entered the IPL under the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp in 2021. However, a disappointing season saw him being let go by the outfit in the 2022 season where he went unsold during the auction as well. However, in the middle of the season, he was called up as a replacement for Suryakumar Yadav by Mumbai Indians after the swashbuckling batter had sustained an injury.
- He was picked up by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023 auction and has so far played 7 matches, taking 13 wickets so far.
