Seamer Akash Madhwal has revealed how his stint in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2020-21 campaign for Uttarakhand led him to join the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) side as a net bowler.
Madhwal, who represented Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was acquired by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as Ayush Mhatre’s replacement during the IPL 2026 mid-season.
Notably, Madhwal scalped six wickets in five games for Uttarakhand with the best figures of 3/16 in the SMAT 2020-21 campaign. Speaking to Sports Tak, the pacer revealed that he got a call from RCB Player Identification Manager Malolan Rangarajan right after that domestic season.
“It was the 20-21 season of our domestic cricket when I represented Uttarakhand for the first time in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and I was the highest wicket-taker for Uttarakhand at that time. So, when the entire season ended, I received a call from Malolan sir. Sir told me, ‘Akash, you can come and join us as a net bowler.’ So, that was a turning point in my life as I suddenly got to see the players I had only watched on TV, watching them in the IPL; I had only ever seen Virat bhaiya, AB de Villiers, and others on TV,” Madhwal told Sports Tak.
While Madhwal was part of the RCB setup as a net bowler in the IPL 2021 season, he made his debut for the MI franchise in the IPL 2023 season, featuring in 17 games and scalping 23 wickets with the best figures of 5/5.
Further, Madhwal also delved into the details of learning things professionally after joining the Bengaluru-based franchise as a net bowler. He revealed that the RCB stint helped him to learn about work ethics, fitness, training, and other key aspects.
“So, it was a very good experience being associated with RCB. It was my very first year of cricket when I started playing professionally. So, I felt really good after going there. I got to learn a lot of things. What are work ethics? What do cricketers actually do? How do they maintain themselves? How do they stay injury-free? Gym sessions, training, bowling, I learned so much about all these things there. From there, I built myself up for the future,” he added.
