NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals’ IPL 2026 campaign was hanging by a thread when 22-year-old Madhav Tiwari was handed his first game of the season against Punjab Kings. DC needed 41 runs off 21 balls, and David Miller had just departed. Facing the very first ball of his IPL career, Madhav stayed calm, went on the back foot and steered it behind square for a boundary. In the next over, he smashed a six and followed it with a four to help Delhi Capitals seal the deal in style.Before producing that match-winning cameo, he had already claimed the prized wicket of Priyansh Arya, and Cooper Connolly. Madhav was adjudged Player of the Match. At Delhi on Sunday, the youngster was once again given an opportunity in the do-or-die clash against Rajasthan Royals, and once again he delivered in style. He picked up the wicket of the dangerous Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and later removed Shubham Dubey in another crucial Delhi Capitals win.Two matches into his IPL career, Madhav has already shown glimpses of why Delhi Capitals rate him so highly. But those who have watched him closely over the years are hardly surprised. Madhav has already built a reputation in Madhya Pradesh cricket circles as a stubborn youngster who simply refused to back down from difficult situations.
The boy who wanted to only bat
Growing up in Rewa in Madhya Pradesh and brought up in Indore, Madhav had only one dream – bat, bat, and only bat. Bowling was never part of Madhav’s cricketing plan. His father, Awadhesh Tiwari, who runs a shop, was also convinced that his son was destined to become a batter before he introduced him to former India cricketer Amay Khurasiya at his academy.After Khurasiya asked Madhav to bowl, the youngster looked completely uninterested. Khurasiya simply said, “Jao bowling karo.” Madhav picked up the ball and bowled a couple of deliveries. Khurasiya immediately saw something in him.
Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket to Delhi Capitals’ Madhav Tiwari during their Indian Premier League 2026 match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi on Sunday. (ANI Photo/Jitender Gupta)
Khurasiya’s next words to Madhav were: “Jyada bowling, time mile to batting. It’s final.”The next few days saw Madhav juggling both bowling and batting, but he soon understood what his coach wanted from him and followed the instructions accordingly. Khurasiya knew the potential this youngster possessed.For Khurasiya, Madhav is a ‘ziddi’ and ‘kharaab situation’ player: someone who thrives under pressure. Khurasiya’s belief in Madhav is now paying dividends on the biggest T20 stage in the world.“Madhav standing up at the age of 22 with such limited experience shows he is made for something bigger. He is made for higher levels. He is not someone who will settle for being just another player in the stream. He is destined for the ocean and to become a part of something much bigger,” Khurasiya told TimesofIndia.com.“Madhav never liked bowling, but he was forced to bowl. From the age of 12 to 14, I made sure he bowled regularly. Many times, I even took his bat away because I saw something special in him as a bowler. Today, I am extremely happy. He has taken wickets and scored runs too. Batting was always his first love, but he was made to fall in love with bowling as well.“I am sure he must be enjoying this feeling now. When he walks back into the dressing room and sees wickets alongside his name, he must be realising the value of it. But let me tell you, he is a full-time bowler, not a part-timer. And he is a top-order batter, not a lower-order one,” said Khurasiya, who played 12 ODIs for India between 1999 and 2001.In fact, after bagging the Player-of-the-match award against PBKS, Madhav summed himself up perfectly by saying, “I’m 100% bowler, 100% batsman.”Interestingly, despite impressing in age-group cricket for Madhya Pradesh, he had not played a single senior-level match before entering the IPL setup.Tiwari has been part of the Bhopal Leopards setup in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League over the last two seasons. He enjoyed a solid campaign in the 2024 edition of the Madhya Pradesh T20 League, batting at an impressive strike rate of 205.71. The youngster followed it up with another strong season in 2025, averaging 54 while maintaining a strike rate of 180.
Madhav Tiwari – A ‘kharaab situation’ player
Khurasiya went on to recall an incident from a local tournament when Madhav, despite suffering a broken thumb, convinced him to let him walk out to the middle and bowl.“I can’t forget that day. He was very young and we were playing an Under-12 club tournament. Our team was on the back foot. This kid was sitting with me with a broken thumb. It was bandaged and swollen. You can understand what happens to a child in an Under-12 match when the ball hits him,” he said.
Delhi Capitals’ Madhav Tiwari celebrates (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
“He kept asking me again and again, ‘Sir, main jaaun? Main jita dunga. Promise.’ I asked him to stay calm and watch the match. After some minutes, he asked me again. Zid karne laga. At last, I said, ‘Go’,” Khurasia recalled.“Believe me, he picked up wickets with that broken thumb and helped the team win. He is a true ‘kharaab situation’ player. Match phasse mein hoga, ye bolega, ‘Main jitaake laaunga,’” Khurasiya said.
Missing sister’s marriage
Madhav’s commitment towards cricket and his desire to perform had always been immense. In fact, such was his dedication to the game that he once missed one of the biggest occasions in the family – his sister’s wedding – because of cricket commitments.“We were really sad. Just three days before his sister’s wedding, he had to leave for a tournament in Mumbai where he was supposed to stay for 9-10 days. He said it was important, and I respected his feelings. We dropped him at the airport and all of us were crying. But he returned with the winning trophy,” Awadhesh told Timesofindia.com.
Delhi Capitals’ Madhav Tiwari attempts a catch (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
“And now, when I see him on TV winning matches and awards for Delhi Capitals, I feel so proud. People know me here now. They say, ‘Madhav ke papa jaa rahe hain,’ a proud father said.It is still very early days and there is a long way to go, but in just two opportunities, the youngster has already shown that he possesses the skillset to win matches with both bat and ball.For now, it is only a small sample size, but the glimpses have been exciting enough to suggest that Delhi Capitals could have found a player for the future – someone who, if nurtured properly, can aim for bigger things ahead.
