Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Akash Madhwal turned the game on its head in a space of two deliveries in an over that put his team in the driver's seat against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2023 Eliminator.
Madhwal came back into the attack to bowl the 10th over and immediately created pressure on Ayush Badoni by bowling a tight line and length. Badoni seemed frustrated and attempted a wild slog on the fourth delivery, only to get his stumps rattled.
However, Akash Madhwal's next delivery effectively proved to be the defining moment in the second innings as he dismissed Nicholas Pooran for a golden duck. Madhwal came around the wicket, hit a good length and just managed to straighten from that angle.
Madhwal's optimum speed and accurate line-length induced an edge of Pooran, which was caught behind by Ishan Kishan. The joy on the faces of the MI players was understandably massive. They realized how important Pooran's wicket was and Madhwal was just ecstatic. Here's the video of his double strike:
Akash Madhwal's incredible figures of 5/5 helped MI crush LSG
In a season where MI were marred with injuries, Akash Madhwal has managed to step up and prove to be a go-to bowler for captain Rohit Sharma. In just seven games, Madhwal has picked 13 wickets at an economy rate of 7.76.
Once again, Madhwal proved that he could bowl in any phase of the game as he delivered incredible figures of 5/5 in a knockout game. Marcus Stoinis and Krunal Pandya's partnership threatened to take LSG ahead in the chase, but Piyush Chawla and Madhwal together struck thrice in two overs to bring Mumbai roaring back.
Lucknow seemed to be caught off-guard as they endured three run-outs to end up being bowled out for just 101. MI bowlers will have their morale boosted for defending the total brilliantly.
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