A 25-year-old playing just tennis cricket to IPL star: Akash Madhwal's inspiring journey

Akash Madhwal is the name on everyone's lips after a spectacular spell against Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday. The Mumbai Indians newcomer was a relatively unknown commodity before IPL 2023 but the pacer made sure that is not the case after the tournament. He did not have a readymade recipe for success as he struggled his way to the top and took several years to find his passion. But when he got the opportunity, Madhwal grabbed it with both hands. 

The fast bowler from Uttarakhand has hogged all the limelight as his breathtaking spell of 5 wickets for 5 runs took Mumbai Indians a step closer to the IPL final. Madhwal dashed LSG's hopes with a brilliant five-fer in the IPL eliminator at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.

Madhwal's exponential rise with the ball has been a big focus in Mumbai's IPL journey so far. The 29-year-old did not really have much experience with the white ball as his introduction to the leather ball came just four years back. He used to play tennis ball cricket more before shining with the leather ball. 

The exponential rise of Akash Madhwal for Mumbai Indians

But the fast bowler has managed to pull himself up from all the restraints he faced in this game full of uncertainties. On a day when Mumbai had hoped for someone to rise to the occasion, Madhwal's knockout punches paved their way towards Qualifier 2 where they will now face defending champions Gujarat Titans on Friday in Ahmedabad.

An engineer, Madhwal had been playing with tennis ball four years ago and his life took a drastic turn when then Uttarakhand Head Coach Wasim Jaffer spotted him in the trials. He hopped on to a new journey with the leather ball since then and IPL 2023 has provided him with the stage to shine on his own. 

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Jaffer tweeted the event from his official handle. "When I was Uttarakhand Head Coach this boy came for trials. He was 24-25 and had only played tennis ball cricket. We were so impressed with his pace we roped him in right away! The year was 2019, and that boy was Akash Madhwal. Proud of how far he's come!"

When I was Uttarakhand Head Coach this boy came for trials. He was 24-25 and had only played tennis ball cricket. We were so impressed with his pace we roped him in right away! The year was 2019, and that boy was Akash Madhwal. Proud of how far he's come! #MIvsLSG #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/BH0RTeRKvz

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14)

Madhwal has played 10 matches for Uttarakhand in first-class cricket and has picked 12 wickets at an average of 48.25. In T20s, Madhwal has 37 wickets from 29 matches in his domestic career. 

As narrated by Jaffer, a life-changing four years could open a number of opportunities for the pacer whose control of the white ball earned severe plaudits in this ongoing season. In the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad too he delivered some lethal yorkers as Glenn Philipps and Heinrich Klaasen were on the receiving end.

Read More: 'What a spell': Cricket world reacts to Akash Madhwal's match winning fifer in eliminator

Rohit Sharma's handling and nurturing of the bowler also needs to be praised as in the absence of Bumrah and Jofra Archer the Mumbai skipper entrusted his confidence in a newbie who also happens to share the same coach with Rishabh Pant, Manish Jha. With 13 scalps to his name this season, Madhwal will be rotting for more s he will at least have two more games to display his bowling credentials.