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How Player Who Wasn't Cricketer 4 Years Ago Became IPL Sensation

© AFP 2023 R. SATISH BABUMumbai Indians' Akash Madhwal (2L) celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Lucknow Super Giants' Mohsin Khan (R) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 eliminator cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 24, 2023.
Mumbai Indians' Akash Madhwal (2L) celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Lucknow Super Giants' Mohsin Khan (R) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 eliminator cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 24, 2023. - Sputnik India, 1920, 25.05.2023
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The Indian Premier League, or IPL, is widely regarded as the best domestic cricket tournament for unearthing world-class talent.
Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Akash Madhwal scripted history on Wednesday, becoming the first bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in a playoff game in the IPL against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Not only Madhwal's figures of 5/5 against LSG are the best-ever by an Indian in the cash-rich league, but he also ensured MI's lopsided 81-run victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The Rohit Sharma-led side's win also meant that they would continue to remain in the hunt for a record-extending sixth title in the competition.

The Mumbai Indians would now face reigning champions Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday. The winner of the contest will meet Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final on Sunday.
A Gunn & Moore Flare DXM bat (Harrow size) and a Gunn & Moore Purist 156g cricket bal - Sputnik India, 1920, 16.05.2023
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Among other records that Madhwal broke or matched en route, his fifer against LSG was joining an elite list of Indian greats who have taken five wickets in an IPL match.
Before him, only the legendary Anil Kumble, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and Ankit Rajpoot have taken five-wicket hauls in India's premier T20 event. However, it's worth noting that Madhwal was not even a first-class cricketer four years ago and only played tennis ball cricket before that.
Surprisingly, the 29-year-old had never touched the white or the red ball before turning 25.

Madhwal's Road to Fame

For the uninitiated, cricket has multiple formats - while a five-day version of the sport known as the Test is played with the red ball, One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20s, lasting 50 overs a side and 20 overs per team, employ white balls during matches.
The twist in the tale of Madhwal's journey to becoming a top-class cricketer came in 2019 when he caught then-Uttarakhand coach Wasim Jaffer and current coach Manish Jha's attention in the year 2019.
As a result of his meeting with Jaffer and Jha, the Uttarakhand-born Madhwal began practicing with the white and red balls.
Subsequently, a first-class debut with the Uttarakhand state team followed.
"When he came for the trials in 2019. We all were very impressed. He is skiddy and quick with a smooth action. There was an X-factor in him. Wasim bhai roped him in straight away and gave him a match against Karnataka in Syed Mushtaq Ali. He was wayward and looked underprepared. Next year, during the Covid, when the Ranji Trophy got canceled and I took up the job of head coach, I told him that he will play all three formats, no matter if he went for runs. I assured him that he would get to play all the matches," Jha told local media on Thursday.
Once he debuted for Uttarakhand, there was no looking back for Madhwal. Not only he cemented his place in the state's Ranji team, but came up with one spectacular performance after another, leading the Mumbai Indians' talent scouts to Dehradun where they eventually brought him into the team as another player's replacement for IPL 2022.
With Madhwal's stars on the rise, he soon found himself donning the captain's jersey for Uttarakhand in white-ball cricket. Moreover, as fate would have it, Mumbai Indians decided to give him an opportunity as one of their premier fast bowlers Jofra Archer was injured and the rest as they say is history.
Madhwal didn't disappoint MI captain Rohit Sharma in the tournament, helping with a bagful of wickets, both upfront and in the death overs. On Wednesday, he was again at his lethal best, registering record figures of 5/5 in 3.3 overs.
An ecstatic Rohit Hailed his progression as a cricketer.
"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. Over the years we have seen many guys coming in from Mumbai Indians and playing for India," Rohit said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
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