Hyderabad: Mumbai's quick Akash Madhwal ran riot into the batting line up of Lucknow Super Giants by taking five wickets for five runs in three overs and as many balls in the Indian Premier League match, on Wednesday night. Madhwal who did his engineering set his sights on cricket after he got his shot at leather ball cricket just four years ago when coaches spotted the pace in his tennis ball games.
Madhwal who hails from Uttarakhand has shifted gears since then. His brilliant run with the ball in the domestic seasons earned him the white-ball skipper role for his state team. He is also first player from Uttarakhand team to play for the cash rich league. He was picked up by Mumbai Indians last year after Suryakumar Yadav's injury.
Madhwal subscription to the five-wicket club placed him between Anil Kumble and Jasprit Bumrah. The economy rate of Madhwal was 1.42 runs per over while that of Kumble was 1.57 and the latter has a maiden in three overs and a ball he bowled. Both of them have only given away five runs. Bumrah's five-for came in four overs with a maiden while conceding 10 runs.
Also read- IPL Eliminator: Madhwal 'engineers' LSG elimination, takes MI closer to summit clash
Madhwal who has been with the Mumbai Indians earned his cap last year and has played so far seven matches and has scalped 13 wickets in all. This season he has emerged as one of the go to bowlers of Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. The Wednesday night performance of Madhwal is the best bowling figures of the season which has got only two more matches to go and the figures may remain the best in case if unchallenged the next two matches. Madhwal scalped crucial wickets of Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran in consecutive deliveries.
Speaking after the match, Madhwal recalled how he transitioned from the 'net bowler' to actually playing for the squad. You need to prove your worth in the nets and prove again when you get a chance after one has put in a lot of hard work and waiting. In his own words, the engineering graduate admitted that cricket has always been his passion. He said he was happy with his role and that it has been coming off well. He added that wicket of Pooran was his favourite of all the wickets.
