IPL 2024: ‘Atmosphere Is Great, Hardik Pandya Is a Supportive Captain’ – Madhwal

IPL 2024 | Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal said that the environment in the MI camp is very good.

Akash Madhwal of Mumbai Indians celebrates the wicket of R. Ashwin of Rajasthan Royals during match 14 of the Indian Premier League season 17 (IPL 2024) between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals held at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Image: BCCI

Mumbai Indians fast bowler Akash Madhwal shared that despite their rough start to the season with consecutive losses against Gujarat, Hyderabad, and Rajasthan in IPL 2024, the team spirit remains high. 

"The team environment is excellent. Both (Rohit and Hardik) are supportive, and I spoke to Hardik and Rohit in the practice match. Bumrah bhai was also there. We should do better in the coming games," he said at the post-match conference.

In their first home-match, against Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai were restricted to 125 for 9 by the Sanju Samson-led team, they suffered a 6-wicket defeat. Madhwal, who claimed figures of 3/20 in his first game of the season, discussed his strategy against the Royals.

"The way the wicket was, we had to get the basics right. We had to bowl wicket-to-wicket. What we had planned, all of our bowlers followed it. We had planned to get the basics right and bowl wicket-to-wicket because the pitch also helped fast bowlers,” he said.

"The first discussion during the innings break was that we would have to grab as many early wickets as possible to put pressure on the opponent. Even in the strategic timeout, we discussed sticking to the plan and taking 2-3 wickets to gain the upper hand," he added.

Madhwal also revealed that he prioritises the team above all else and is prepared to deliver whenever he's given the opportunity. 

"We must play first for the team rather than for individual reasons. The combinations for the first two games were good in their own right, as world-class bowlers constantly compete for a place in the team."

The speedster rose to prominence last season due to his outstanding bowling displays. In eight matches, he took 14 wickets, which included a remarkable five-wicket haul against Lucknow Super Giants, helping his team secure a playoff victory.