In 2022, the Mumbai Indians signed Akash Madhwal as a net bowler. After Surya Kumar Yadav hurt himself, Madhwal was then included in the team’s starting lineup.Mumbai Indians, five-time IPL champions, defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs on Wednesday in Chennai to advance to Qualifier 2 of the 2023 IPL.

The 29-year-old Uttarakhand fast bowler Akash Madhwal, who took 5 for 5 in 3.3 overs, was the star of the victory.

Up until four years ago, Madhwal, who hails from the Dhandera area of Roorkee in Uttarakhand, only played tennis ball cricket. He participated in the state trials in 2019, when he was noticed by the then-coach Wasim Jaffer and the present-day coach Manish Jha.

In Uttarakhand, Madhwal and Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant live close together. Engineer Madhwal received his training from Avtar Singh, the same trainer who worked with Pant in Uttarakhand before the latter relocated to Delhi. The house of Akash is in front of Rishabh’s. They live close by. Before moving to Delhi to train with the late Tarak Sinha sir, Rishabh played for me, Singh told The Indian Express.

Madhwal was named captain of Uttarakhand’s white-ball teams before the 2022 domestic season.

He joined the Mumbai Indians in 2022 as a net bowler and was later included in the starting lineup following an injury to Surya Kumar Yadav. Experienced players like Jasprit Bumrah, Jhye Richardson, and Jofra Archer were not present, but Madhwal rose to the occasion, collecting 13 wickets in his first seven games.

To help the five-time champions win by 81 runs and go to the second qualifier on Friday, Madhwal recorded figures of 5 for 5, the greatest by any bowler in an IPL Playoff game, on Wednesday against the Lucknow Super Giants.