In this IPL season, it seemed almost impossible for the Mumbai Indians to qualify for the playoffs, with Rohit Sharma not being in his best form and the team’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah being out of the tournament. However, the emerging player Akash Madhwal from Uttarakhand made it possible.
Cricket Journey
Akash Madhwal is an engineer who has had a passion for cricket since childhood. He was also a well-known tennis ball bowler in his college years. But it was the white ball that was early waiting for Madhwal to try his gifted hand at it. So when the Cricket Association in the state of Uttarakhand got BCCI’s affiliation, Akash got the chance to play for the state. Under the guidance of his coach Manish Jha who himself was a former services pacer, Akash Madhwal emerged as a star bowler.
Manish Jha revealed in an interview that Akash had a lot of potential, but he tried to ball a lot of variations, almost everything that he used to see on TV. To cope with this, Jha assured Akash that the former would let him play all the matches in the esteemed Vijay Hazare Trophy. And in return, Jha asked Akash to bowl at full pace without worrying about giving away runs. Such excellent guidance shaped Akash into a fast bowler who not only bowls at a good pace but also has a great understanding of the pitching of the ball.
Jha went on to say that Akash, being an engineer, learned the white ball bowling strategies very quickly and mastered the same. He also said that Akash’s father is no more, and his family is not much financially backed and the cricketer duly understands this and tries to do his best every game. It was also mentioned that the quick transition is complete for the white ball, but Akash’s red ball learning is still in process.
Dream IPL Season
As a newcomer, Akash Madhwal’s IPL auction ended at the base price of INR 20 lakhs. However, Akash Madhwal’s IPL 2023 performance surely stood out. In the playoffs, where Mumbai Indians were to play against Lucknow Super Giants, Akash Madhwal supported his team like no one else. He dismissed LSG’s main batsman Nicholas Pooran at a duck and showed the world what an underdog could do. Even after this, Madhwal had no intentions of letting batters spend some time on the field and of giving away any runs. What everyone saw was unbelievable, Akash Madhwal’s stats were 5/5 in the eliminator match. Seeing this stat, no one was ready to believe that Akash Madhwal’s age is just 28.
But it wasn’t the first time when Akash Madhwal’s bowling style justify the IPL audience in awe. When the Mumbai Indians were in a do-or-die situation this year against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Akash bowled unplayable yorkers and took 4 crucial wickets, including those of Glenn Philips and Heinrich Klaasen in exchange for just 37 runs. It can be said that Akash Madhwal’s IPL debut paid off and he ash has set the bar very high in the IPL for newcomers to come.
Akash Madhwal’s net worth or Akash Madhwal’s IPL price could not tell everyone about the talent the player possesses. But now, the world has witnessed it.
