Akash Madhwal picked 5/5 for MI in IPL 2023 Eliminator vs LSG.
Madhwal stepped up beautifully in their absence and after taking a four-fer in a crunch match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Uttarakhand pacer produced his best in the Eliminator match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
He picked 5/5, as LSG collapsed to 101 chasing a target of 183 in the Eliminator on Wednesday.
Madhwal, who also is a yorker expert like Bumrah, was awarded the Player of the Match for his five-wicket haul. After the game, the 29-year-old pacer spoke about his role in the team and why he is not a replacement for Bumrah.
“I am trying my best to fulfill the responsibilities given to me by the team. I am not Bumrah’s replacement but I’m trying my best to do what I can. The wicket at Chepauk was good. As you saw, the ball was not gripping but skidding. I am a swing/sling bowler, and I pitched my deliveries in hard lengths aiming for wickets,” Madhwal said in the press conference after the match.
A tennis ball player, Madhwal started playing professional cricket only five years back and is now using their previous learning to perform well as a bowler in IPL.
“Through the tennis ball, I have only learnt how to bowl yorkers and I use that in my bowling today. There is only one way of evading those deliveries. If the bowling lengths are pitched a bit high or low, it would gift away boundary fours or sixes. Thus, I needed to bowl strong yorkers in tennis cricket and that is what I do today with a proper cricket ball,” he added.
Talking about his meteoric rise, Madhwal said: “I have been with Uttarakhand Cricket Association ever since they got affiliation with the BCCI in 2018. In 2019, I was a net bowler with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Later on, I joined Mumbai Indians and started as a net bowler again. Fast forward to today, I am getting the opportunity to play in the team.”
He joined Mumbai Indians in 2022 as a replacement for the injured Suryakumar Yadav however he didn’t get to play a match. His debut only came in 2023. Madhwal shared how he managed to get retained by Mumbai.
“I was given the clarity of my role with the team. I have to continue the process I was following and had the surety that I would get opportunities next season. That was very clear,” he signed off.
(IPL inputs)