Delhi Capitals’ (DC) all-rounder Madhav Tiwari is playing his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday, May 8. The Axar Patel-led side is facing the Punjab Kings (PBKS), who could become the first team to qualify for the playoffs with a win on Thursday.
After Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first, Axar mentioned the inclusion of Madhav in place of spin-bowling all-rounder Vipraj Nigam. Madhav is a 21-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder who produced some brilliant performances with the ball at the Under-19 level for Madhya Pradesh. While bowling is his stronger suit, the youngster is no mug with the bat.
Born on September 28, 2003, in the Mauganj district of Madhya Pradesh, Madhav bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium pace. He was roped in by the Capitals for INR 40 lakh at the IPL 2025 mega-auction.
Madhav’s talent came to the fore when he was in his teens, and he represented Indore Division’s Under-15 and Under-18 teams. His captaincy acumen was impressive as he led the Under-19 team to a championship victory and scored a double century in an important fixture.
In the 2021-2022 Senior Division MK Bhaya Trophy, he finished with the most number of wickets. Madhav has not made his debut for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket as yet.
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Last year, he represented Bhopal Leopards in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League. Madhav’s standout performance came in a match against Rewa Division, where he bagged a hat-trick. He scored a quickfire 72 at a strike rate of 205.71 and bagged three wickets. During the tournament, he also grabbed eyeballs with his exemplary fielding skills, taking six catches.
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium generally favours pacers more than spinners. This could have been the reason why Madhav got the nod for this fixture ahead of Nigam, who has produced some notable performances with bat and ball this season.
