Akash Madhwal, a former engineer who moved to cricket, drew a lot of attention with his 5-for-5 performance against the Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday night in Chepauk. The right-arm seamer dismissed Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran, two of LSG’s top hitters this season, with consecutive deliveries, allowing Mumbai to win by 81 runs.
After his spell, which saw him become the first bowler in IPL history to take nine wickets in two consecutive games, Akash discussed what it meant to him and how he felt about it.
Akash used to play tennis with a tennis ball until he was 23 years old. When he was given the opportunity to play in the IPL, he stunned everyone with his strong hitting with both the new and old ball. Despite allowing more than nine runs per over, Madhwal has captured 13 wickets in seven games.
Madhwal’s tight line and five wickets in the quarterfinal game against Lucknow on Wednesday night in Chennai will be remembered for a long time. After the game, Madhwal spoke with reporters about how he felt after accomplishing this milestone. He stated,
“I was overjoyed with Nicholas Pooran’s defeat. When a left-handed hitter came to bat, he was supposed to go around the wicket.
“I’ve been practicing a lot and waiting for my chance.” I have an engineering degree, I adore cricket, and I’ve been waiting for this since 2018. When we practice in the nets, management tells us what to shoot for, and we try our hardest to hit it. “We hope to do well in the next games and win the whole thing,” the right-arm seamer added.
Taking advice from the finest
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the international players Jofra Archer and Jason Behrendorff were supposed to lead the way. Injuries and poor form, however, prevented both of them from playing as much as they would have liked. They didn’t have much of an impact overall, but they did teach Madhwal a few tactics that the Indian bowler used effectively during his periods.
Akash stated, “This is what I chose from them.”
“Because neither of us were on the team when I was with Jofra Archer, we both bowled Yorkers together.” Jason Behrendorff is teaching me how to throw a knuckleball. “I’m learning how to pitch the ball that seams up from Chris Jordan,” he explained.
He will have to duplicate his efforts against the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, which will take place on Friday in Ahmedabad.