Why Akash Madhwal Was Banned From Local Tennis Ball Leagues

MI bowling sensation Akash Madhwal’s elder brother Ashish revealed "nobody let him play here. There was a lot of fear of his bowling. So, he was banned from the local tournaments."

Mumbai Indians’ star pacer Akash Madhwal is the talk of the town after his fiery performance against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2023 Eliminator. He gave one of the best bowling performances in an IPL Qualifier. But, did you know the Roorkee native had only started playing white ball cricket four years ago? Earlier, Akash had been playing tennis-ball cricket.

So it came as a surprise when Akash's brother Ashish told India Today that the bowler was actually banned from playing in the local leagues. “Nobody let him play here. There was a lot of fear of his bowling. So, he was banned from the local tournaments. Dar ka mahoul tha (there was an atmosphere of fear). Akash used to go outside of Roorkee and play. But yeah, his tennis ball days are done. He is so, so happy right now,” Ashish said.

Akash only graduated to white-ball cricket after being selected at trials for Uttarakhand’s domestic team. The star pacer had studied engineering and was working as a civil engineer before transitioning into becoming a sports star.

While Akash was first picked up by RCB in 2021 for the IPL, he didn’t have much to show in his first season and went unbought in the IPL 2022 auction. It was when Suryakumar Yadav got injured in the middle of the season that Madhwal got a second shot as Mumbai Indians picked him up as a replacement.

“That was their way of showing faith in Akash that he would be picked for the IPL 2023 squad. Rohit had told him that he would get a chance to play in the 2023 season,” Ashish added.

Akash, in the IPl Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants, scripted history with his bowling spell. His 5/5 spell was much-apprecited by the cricketing greats, including Anil Kumble who welcomed Akash to the club.