Who is Akash Madhwal? All you need to know about MI’s latest bowling sensation

The Eliminator clash of IPL 2023 played between LSG and MI saw Mumbai getting the better of the third-placed Lucknow to convincingly seal a berth in the Qualifier 2. Batting first, MI put 182 runs and kept LSG were bowled-out on 101 to steal a massive 81-run victory. On the bowling front, it was MI’s newest sensation Akash Madhwal who claimed a fifer to run havoc.

After losing Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer in IPL due to injuries, MI had a mountain to climb in finding a suitable fit in their bowling order. While Arshad Khan and Arjun Tendulkar did give occasional cheers, it was Akash Madhwal who came out on the top. Akash returned wonderful performances in MI’s crucial matches against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Hailing from Dhandera region of Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Madhwal’s story starts a few years back when he was first spotted by former Indian opener, Wasim Jaffer. Akash Madhwal hails from Roorkee in Uttarakhand. In 2019, he had gone to the trials for Uttarakhand’s state team which, back then, was being coached by Jaffer. Jaffer was left seemingly impressed by the young bowler’s discipline and striking abilities and that changed the fortunes of Madhwal. Madhwal not only made it to the state team but also rose to become its white-ball captain within three years.

Madhwal also happens to be the first cricketer from Uttarakhand’s state team to feature in the IPL. Although Rishabh Pant does hail from Uttarakhand, he played domestic cricket for Delhi before breaking into the IPL. Interestingly, Madhwal and Pant happened to be neighbours in Uttarakhand and trained under the same coach, Avatar Singh. Madhwal had a brilliant academic career as well, having pursued B. Tech in Civil Engineering from Roorkee.

Akash Madhwal’s journey in IPL

While we all know Madhwal as a Mumbai star, it was actually RCB, where he started his IPL career from. He was roped in by RCB as a net bowler in IPL 2021. But, he failed to impress them as the right-arm pacer had to go unsold in the 2022 season. However, mid-way through the season, MI called him up as a replacement for Suryakumar Yadav who had injured himself and had to be ruled out. Madhwal managed to retain his place in the MI squad for the 2023 season as well.