MI skipper Rohit Sharma heaps praise on Akash Madhwal for his deadly spell against LSG in IPL 2023 Eliminator

The five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) registered a stunning victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator of IPL 2023 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rohit Sharma-led MI thrashed LSG for just 101 runs to register a huge 81-run victory to confirm their fixture in the second Qualifier against the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 26th.

The main anchor of MI’s win was the 29-year-old right-arm fast bowler Akash Madhwal. Defending 183 runs, Madhwal bowled a deadly spell where he scalped 5 wickets by conceding just 5 runs in 3.3 overs. His spell destroyed the LSG batting lineup as they were nowhere close to MI’s total. He accounted for the key dismissals of opener Prerak Mankad (3), Ayush Badoni (1), Nicholas Pooran (0), Ravi Bishnoi (3) and Mohsin Khan (0).

I was confident he (Madhwal) could get the job done for us: Rohit Sharma

After the match, MI skipper Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Madhwal for his stunning spell as MI booked their spot in Qualifier 2 on Friday. Rohit said that he felt confident in Madhwal after watching his bowling in the nets when MI was looking for a fast bowling option after Jofra Archer was ruled out due to an injury.

“Akash Madhwal was part of the season last year as a support bowler but we drafted him into the squad last year. He didn’t get to play. We knew what he had. Once Jofra was gone, we knew we needed somebody to bowl at the back end. Having seen him, I was confident he could get the job done for us. Lot of skills, good attitude, lot of character as well.” Rohit said at the post-match presentation.

“Talking about scouts, we have seen so many guys have gone on to play for India and done well”, he further added.

Madhwal is currently the third-highest wicket-taker for MI in the ongoing season with 13 scalps from seven matches. The 29-year-old began his career as a net bowler for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019, before MI picked him for the same role in 2022 where he also got a few chances in the playing XI.

MI are now all set to lock horns with GT in Ahmedabad for Qualifier 2 on Friday, The winner will confirm their fixture with Chennai Super Kings in the final of IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, May 28th.