Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Akash Madhwal deserves all credit for taking Mumbai Indians to the second qualifier of the ongoing IPL 2023. Madhwal bowled at his absolute best to return with figures of 5-5 against Lucknow Super Giants at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Wednesday.
Ergo, MI won the Eliminator contest by a huge margin of 81 runs to book their place in the second qualifier. After MI posted a par score of 182 runs on the board, LSG was skittled out for a meager score of 101 runs with Akash Madhwal being the chief destroyer.
Madhwal returned with the joint-most economical five-wicket haul in the IPL, as he leveled the previous record of Anil Kumble. Furthermore, the figures of 5-5 are the best in IPL history by an uncapped player and the joint-fourth-best figures in the tournament.
Madhwal bowled a total of 17 dot balls in his superb spell and he accounted for Prerak Mankad, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mohsin Khan.
Furthermore, the 29-year-old had returned with impressive figures of 4-37 in the must-win match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which was the last league stage match for MI.
“We have never seen an uncapped player dominate in a high-pressure game. Akash Madhwal has picked up 9 wickets in the last two games. He deserves all the credit for taking MI to the Qualifiers,” Irfan Pathan said on Start Sports.
On the other hand, former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif compared Madhwal’s bowling style with Mohammed Shami.
“Akash Madhwal bowls hard length. His bowling style resembles Mohd Shami and gets the zip off the surface. What a player he has been for Mumbai Indians lately. He’s looked like a matured bowler with every game he’s played,” Kaif said on Start Sports.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians posted a par score of 182 runs on the board after Rohit Sharma decided to bat first. Cameron Green top-scored with 41 runs whereas SKY and Nehal Wadhera also played crucial knocks of 33 and 23 runs respectively to help their team get past the 180-run mark.
Mumbai Indians will take on Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Friday.
