Akash Madhwal equalled legendary Anil Kumble’s record for the most economical five-for in the history of IPL.
New Delhi: At a time when Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah and Jhye Richardson missed out due to injuries, little-known Akash Mashwal stood up like a boss for Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Although it is too early to draw comparisons, the Uttarakhand engineer bowled a dream spell as his five-wicket haul took five-time champions Mumbai Indians one step closer to summit clash after thrashing Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs in IPL 2023 Eliminator on Wednesday.
Chasing Mumbai Indians scored 182/8, LSG fell to Madhwal’s incredible figures of 3.3-0-5-5 and some terrific ground fielding led by skipper Rohit Sharma as the Gautam Gambhir mentored side crumbled for a paltry 101 in 16.3 overs.
5️⃣/5️⃣ – Akash Madhwal becomes the first-ever bowler to take a five-wicket haul in IPL Playoffs.#OneFamily #MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #TATAIPL #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/GjBLD61Njb
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 24, 2023
Madhwal equalled legendary Anil Kumble’s record for the most economical five-for in the history of IPL. MI will now take on Gujarat Titans on Friday in the second Qualifier in Ahmedabad to decide on Chennai Super Kings’ opposition for the big final on Sunday.
“I have been practicing a lot and waiting for my opportunity. I have done engineering, cricket is my passion and I have been waiting for this since 2018,” said Madhwal after the game. He picked the wickets of Prerak Mankad, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi and Mohsin Khan. “The wicket of Nicholas Pooran was most pleasing for me,” he added.
Soon after the left-arm pacer’s match-winning feat, formers and current players showered praises for the youngster.
Mi ek esi university hai jaha ki graduation Apko super star Banati hai. #Akashmadhwal @mipaltan
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) May 24, 2023
Akash Madhwal take a bow!! What a find from @mipaltan!! 👏🏾 Top class bowling in a high pressure game! Brilliantly batted from @CameronGreen_, @surya_14kumar & Wadhera and well bowled by Piyush & Jordan!! @imnaveenulhaq too good tonight!! #GTvMI will be an exciting contest!!
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) May 24, 2023
5 for 5 Akash Madhwal bowled a terrific spell. First ever 5 wkt haul by any bowler in playoffs. Looking forward to a lot more from the young lad #LSGvsMI #Playoffs2023
— zaheer khan (@ImZaheer) May 24, 2023
An unbelievable performance from Akash Madhwal🔥👏
Not an easy task to perform the way he did in a crunch game.
MI has unearthed a bowler with a bright future🙌#LSGvMI #IPL2023— Lasith Malinga (@malinga_ninety9) May 24, 2023
Great bowling in a high pressure game, Akash Madhwal. Welcome to the 5/5 club 👏🏾 @mipaltan @JioCinema
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) May 24, 2023
What a spell from Akash Madhwal🔥🔥🔥. Congratulations @mipaltan, great win 🙌🏾
— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) May 24, 2023
.@mipaltan off to Ahmedabad with a thumping win over #LSG. After a shaky start, @CameronGreen_ and @surya_14kumar‘s solid partnership ensured they posted a competitive total. Halfway through @LucknowIPL‘s innings, it was all balanced, but then #AkashMadhwal ran riot with a fifer… pic.twitter.com/RN34HKMR55
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) May 24, 2023
Akash Madhwal 5 wickets in the eliminator after the 4 he took in the last league game which was a do or die game . Such a delight to see newcomers doing well. This is the season where many of the experience guys have had a great season and many newcomers have made a big mark.… pic.twitter.com/ofZI0yk8af
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) May 24, 2023
So far, Madhwal has taken 13 wickets in seven matches in IPL 2023 so far. He was Mumbai Indians net bowler the earlier season. “He (Akash) was the part of the team last year as a support bowler, and once Jofra was gone and I knew he had skills and the character to do the job for us,” said Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma after the game.