Akash Madhwal was named Man of the Match in the IPL 2023 Eliminator match between the Mumbai Indians and the Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. Madhwal came in as a replacement for Mumbai last season. He took five wickets and decimated the Lucknow batting order. He bowled a perfect 5/5 spell to send MI to the Qualifier 2 match.
Many fans are aware that Akash Madhwal created a new league record for the greatest numbers by an uncapped fast bowler. He went on to win the POTM award. He was not the first uncapped player to win Player of the Match at the grand stage of the IPL playoffs.
Here are the last five uncapped players who were named Man of the Match in playoffs.
1) Rajat Patidar, IPL 2022 Eliminator
Royal Challengers Bangalore batter Rajat Patidar was named Player of the Match in the Eliminator game last year. RCB’s opponents were the Lucknow Super Giants.
Patidar brought his top game to the Eden Gardens, smacking 112* from 54 balls to help RCB win the contest. Patidar was unable to play in any of the IPL 2023 matches owing to an injury. Patidar made his India debut between 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons.
2) Venkatesh Iyer, IPL 2021 Qualifier 2
Venkatesh Iyer was named Player of the Match in Qualifier 2 match of his debut season. Iyer produced 55(41) for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Delhi Capitals. This helped his team chase down a 136 run target.
Iyer was soon called up to the Indian squad for the first time. However he was dropped after a few matches. Iyer scored 404 runs in 14 innings with a strike rate of 145.85 in the IPL 2023.
3) Suryakumar Yadav, IPL 2019 Qualifier 1
Suryakumar Yadav got the game winning knock for Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 of the 2019. Yadav hit 71* off 54 balls to help MI chase down a 132 run target against CSK in Chennai.
This season, Surya has already recorded his best ever IPL performance, blasting 544 runs in 15 innings. The MI standout made his international debut in 2021 and is now ranked first in the ICC T20I rankings.
4) Krunal Pandya, IPL 2017 final
Krunal Pandya scored 47 runs off 38 balls for the Mumbai Indians in the 2017 final against the Rising Pune Supergiants. Pandya even opened the bowling and finished with 0/31.
MI defeated RPS by one run thanks to his all-around performance. Pandya was later named Man of the Match. He made his T20I and ODI debut for India but was unable to keep his spot. In the 2023 edition, Pandya captained the Lucknow Super Giants in lieu of the injured KL Rahul.
5) Washington Sundar, IPL 2017 Qualifier 1
Washington Sundar was named Player of the Match in the 2017 Qualifier 1 between MI and RPS. Sundar, an uncapped spinner at the time delivered a tight spellof 3/16 in four overs.
Sundar took wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, and Kieron Pollard and helped RPS reach final. Sundar made his debut for India, although he has been in and out of the squad. Sundar is now playing for SRH in the IPL.
