Indian cricket’s production line of fast-bowling all-rounders has never been more active — and right at the front of that queue stands Madhav Tiwari, the 22-year-old from Mauganj, Madhya Pradesh, whose journey from a small town to the Indian Premier League is the kind of story that makes you genuinely fall in love with cricket all over again. In just his second IPL appearance, in front of a packed crowd at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, Madhav Tiwari picked up two crucial wickets and then contributed a blistering cameo with the bat to help Delhi Capitals complete the highest ever successful T20 chase at that ground — and walk away with the Player of the Match award.
The man who describes himself as “100% bowler and 100% batter” did exactly that. And the rest of Indian cricket stood up to take notice.
This is the most complete guide to Madhav Tiwari — his early life, the sacrifices behind his rise, his domestic career in Madhya Pradesh, his IPL journey with Delhi Capitals, his complete statistics, and why he is one of the most exciting young all-rounders in Indian domestic cricket right now.
Madhav Tiwari: Quick Bio Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Madhav Tiwari |
| Date of Birth | September 28, 2003 |
| Age (2026) | 22 Years |
| Birthplace | Mauganj, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Current Base | Indore, Madhya Pradesh |
| Batting Style | Right-Hand Bat (Middle Order) |
| Bowling Style | Right-Arm Medium-Fast |
| Role | Bowling All-Rounder |
| School | Delhi Public School, Indore |
| Cricket Academy | Amay Khurasiya’s Cricket Academy, Indore |
| Domestic Team | Madhya Pradesh |
| IPL Team | Delhi Capitals |
| IPL Contract Price | INR 40 Lakhs (IPL 2025 Auction) |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (176 cm) |
| IPL Debut | May 8, 2025, PBKS vs DC, Dharamsala |
Early Life: From Mauganj to Indore
Madhav Tiwari was born on September 28, 2003, in Mauganj — a small town in the Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. Mauganj is not a place you’d find on most cricketing maps. It is a modest, quiet town far removed from the academies, stadiums, and coaching infrastructure that more celebrated cricketing cities take for granted. Growing up there meant that any aspiration toward professional cricket required not just talent, but a deliberate, sustained effort to access the resources the talent needed.
When Madhav was still a young child, his family relocated to Indore — Madhya Pradesh’s largest city and its most active cricketing hub. This move was transformative. Indore has produced a disproportionate number of quality domestic cricketers precisely because it has the facilities, the competition structure, and the coaching resources to develop raw talent into polished professionals. The relocation to Indore gave Madhav access to a world that Mauganj simply could not have provided.
The Father’s Bargain
The backstory of Madhav’s cricketing ambition involves a conversation between father and son that has become one of the more poignant stories in Indian domestic cricket’s recent history.
Madhav’s father Awadhesh Tiwari, who runs a transportation business, struck what he described as a deal with his 13-year-old son: Madhav would owe his father an MBA degree if cricket didn’t work out. It was a practical bargain from a father who supported his son’s dream completely but also understood that dreams need backup plans. Awadhesh ensured Madhav never lacked for facilities, support, or resources as his cricket developed — a significant commitment that reflects the depth of belief the family placed in his ability.
That father’s support — his willingness to invest in his son’s cricket without the guarantee of return — is part of the Madhav Tiwari story in a way that cannot be separated from the cricket itself.
School: Delhi Public School, Indore
Madhav attended Delhi Public School (DPS), Indore — one of the city’s premier educational institutions, which also has a strong tradition of producing sportspeople. The school environment gave him structured cricket competition at the age-group level while also providing the academic foundation his father’s MBA bargain required as a fallback.
The First Recognition: Kushal Chourey and the Turning Point
At eight years old, Madhav Tiwari began playing cricket with the enthusiasm and instinct that characterizes every child who falls deeply in love with the game. But the moment that changed his trajectory was when his talent came to the attention of Kushal Chourey — a former Ranji Trophy player from Madhya Pradesh.
Chourey recognized immediately that what he was watching in young Madhav was not just the enthusiasm of a cricket-mad child but genuine ability — the raw materials of a serious cricketer. He encouraged Madhav to take the game seriously and directed him toward structured coaching. That encouragement from a respected, experienced cricketer at a formative age gave Madhav’s parents the validation they needed to invest in his development with full conviction.
The Academy: Amay Khurasiya’s Cricket Academy
The pivotal institutional influence on Madhav Tiwari’s development was Amay Khurasiya’s Cricket Academy in Indore — an academy that carries enormous prestige in Madhya Pradesh cricketing circles because of the reputation of its founder.
Amay Khurasiya is a former India cricketer who represented the national team in ODIs during the late 1990s and 2000s and is one of Madhya Pradesh’s most celebrated cricket identities. His academy in Indore has built a track record of developing quality domestic cricketers, and being admitted to train there is a meaningful marker of ability.
It was at Khurasiya’s academy that Madhav underwent the transition that defined his cricketing identity: from a batsman who wanted to bat, to a fast-bowling all-rounder who could do both. He has described how tiring bowling felt when he first started serious pace work at 13 — the physical demands of running in hard and delivering at pace were exhausting for a young body not yet conditioned for it. But the academy coaching identified that his natural athleticism and arm speed gave him genuine potential as a pace bowler, and the investment in developing that skill alongside his batting is what ultimately made him the all-rounder he is today.
Youth Cricket: Captaining Indore Under-18
Madhav progressed through the age-group cricket structure with consistent distinction. He represented the Indore Under-15 side as a teenager and was subsequently appointed captain of the Indore Under-18 team — a leadership recognition that is never granted to a player on talent alone. Captains are selected for their cricket intelligence, communication ability, and the respect they command from teammates, and Madhav’s appointment at that level confirmed he possessed all three.
In the Senior Division MK Bhaya Trophy — one of the major Madhya Pradesh domestic competitions — he established himself as the top wicket-taker of the tournament, a performance that announced his bowling credentials to the state’s cricketing establishment in the clearest possible terms.
The Hat-Trick in 2024
In 2024, playing in a domestic match against Rewa Division, Madhav Tiwari took a hat-trick — three consecutive wickets on consecutive deliveries — and finished the match with six wickets. Hat-tricks are rare enough in any form of cricket that achieving one demonstrates not just skill but the ability to maintain consistent, disciplined bowling over consecutive balls under pressure. Six wickets in the same match turned the hat-trick from a memorable moment into a defining performance.
The Madhya Pradesh T20 League 2024: The Platform That Changed Everything
If there is a single competition that serves as the bridge between Madhav Tiwari’s domestic cricket development and his IPL breakthrough, it is the Madhya Pradesh T20 League (MPT20) 2024.
Madhav was selected for the Bhopal Leopards — a franchise captained by Arshad Khan (the Gujarat Titans pacer) and featuring Aniket Verma of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Playing alongside established IPL cricketers in a competitive state T20 league gave Madhav his first sustained exposure to professional T20 cricket and revealed two things that IPL scouts needed to know:
- With the ball: He could operate at genuine pace in T20 conditions, create problems for set batsmen, and take wickets — ending with 3 wickets for Bhopal Leopards across the tournament.
- With the bat: He was a genuine boundary-threat in the lower middle order — not just a tail-end cameo player but someone capable of match-defining innings under pressure.
The Semi-Final 65: The Innings That Opened Every Door
In the MPT20 2024 semi-final against Rewa Jaguars, Madhav Tiwari played what remains the most consequential innings of his pre-IPL career. He scored an explosive 65 off 31 balls — a strike rate of 209.67 — to power Bhopal Leopards to the final. The innings combined powerful hitting with smart batting intelligence, finding the gaps when required and clearing the boundary when the field was up. It was the kind of T20 innings that demands attention from franchise scouts, and it delivered exactly that.
His full MPT20 2024 campaign:
| Tournament | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Strike Rate | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP T20 League 2024 | 5 | 108 | 65 | ~180–205 | 3 |
108 runs across 5 innings at a strike rate consistently above 180, plus 3 wickets — for a bowler-first all-rounder in a competitive state T20 league, this is the kind of return that justifies serious attention.
The performances in the MPT20 2024 were the direct reason he was identified as an IPL auction target.
IPL Journey: Delhi Capitals
IPL 2025 Auction: The Delhi Capitals Decision
In the 2025 IPL Auction, Delhi Capitals made the move to sign Madhav Tiwari — at INR 40 Lakhs, slightly above his base price, after a brief bidding war with Mumbai Indians. The bidding war is itself significant — when two respected franchises compete for the same young domestic player, it confirms that the talent identification was not a single franchise’s assessment but a market consensus.
Mumbai Indians — who have arguably the best player scouting operation in the IPL — bidding against Delhi Capitals for Madhav Tiwari’s signature validates the quality of his MPT20 performances in a way no other measure could.
Delhi Capitals ultimately secured him. Their assessment of Madhav aligned perfectly with his self-description: not a specialist bowler or a specialist batsman, but a genuine all-rounder who brings full quality to both disciplines.
IPL 2025 Debut: May 8, 2025, vs Punjab Kings, Dharamsala
Madhav Tiwari made his IPL debut on May 8, 2025, for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala — the beautiful mountain ground that has become one of cricket’s most atmospheric venues.
On debut, he was given one over to bowl — delivering 1 over for 14 runs without a wicket — a forgettable but understandable debut outing. More revealing was the catch he took in the field, showing the athletic fielding ability that complements his all-round profile. His batting wasn’t needed in that particular match.
A single debut is rarely a meaningful data point for any cricketer. What mattered was whether opportunities would follow.
The Performance That Defined Him: IPL 2026 vs Punjab Kings
If his 2025 debut was quiet, his return in IPL 2026 announced him to the entire country.
May 11, 2026 — Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings, Dharamsala
The same ground. The same opposition. But a completely different story.
Delhi Capitals needed to beat Punjab Kings to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. It was a high-pressure match on a pitch providing genuine seam movement throughout — the kind of conditions where pace bowlers can dominate if they hit their lengths and the batsmen can dominate if they hit their lines.
Madhav’s bowling: Brought on as Delhi’s fifth bowling option in the 9th over of Punjab’s innings, Madhav immediately made an impact. His first over dismissed Priyansh Arya for 56 — a well-set, aggressive opener who had been threatening to take the game beyond Delhi’s reach. Then, in his final over, he used a perfectly executed slower bouncer to dismiss Cooper Connolly — a variation ball delivered at exactly the right moment against a batsman who hadn’t read it.
Final bowling figures: 4 overs, 2 wickets for 40 runs — a hard-working, impactful contribution on a pitch where batsmen were scoring freely.
Madhav’s batting: Delhi needed 211 to win — a significant chase on any ground. When he came to the crease in the final stages of the chase with his team needing runs quickly, Madhav played a 18-ball innings of 18 runs with two fours and a six, striking at 225.00 — exactly the kind of aggressive, calm cameo that finishers in T20 cricket are valued for.
Delhi Capitals won the match by 3 wickets — completing the highest ever successful T20 chase at the Dharamsala ground. Madhav Tiwari was named Player of the Match.
After the award presentation, when the interviewer suggested he was a bowler first, Madhav’s response became one of the most-shared cricket quotes from IPL 2026:
“I’m 100% bowler and 100% batter.”
It wasn’t arrogance. It was a young cricketer articulating precisely the identity he has built — an all-rounder in the truest sense, not a bowler who can bat a bit or a batsman who rolls his arm over occasionally.
The Sister’s Wedding: The Cricket Tragedy That Defined His Commitment
One detail from Madhav Tiwari’s story that circulated widely after his Player of the Match performance was a personal sacrifice that speaks volumes about the depth of his commitment.
During a crucial period in his cricket development, Madhav missed his sister’s wedding to play cricket. It is the kind of decision that forces a person to examine what they value most deeply, and for Madhav, the answer was clear enough to make the sacrifice — even knowing it was the kind of choice a family doesn’t easily forget or fully forgive in the moment.
The Player of the Match trophy at Dharamsala in 2026 was, in some ways, a vindication of every moment of sacrifice behind it — not just the missed wedding, but every early morning, every exhausted evening at the academy, every hour of bowling when tiredness was asking him to stop.
Complete Career Statistics
IPL Statistics
| Season | Matches | Batting Runs | Batting SR | Overs Bowled | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2025 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 14.00 |
| IPL 2026 | 2 | 18 | 225.00 | 4 | 2 | 10.00 |
| Career Total | 3 | 21 | — | 5 | 2 | 11.20 |
Domestic T20 Career (MP T20 League + Other)
| Tournament | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Strike Rate | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP T20 League 2024 | 5 | 108 | 65 | ~180–205 | 3 |
| Other domestic T20s | Various | Ongoing | — | — | — |
Overall T20 Career (All competitions)
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All T20s | 10+ | Various | 108+ | 54.00 | 180.00 | Multiple | — |
Playing Style: What Makes Madhav Tiwari Different
As a Bowler: Raw Pace With Growing Craft
Madhav Tiwari’s primary weapon is genuine pace — the kind of natural speed that cannot be entirely coached and that creates immediate problems for batsmen in every format. His ability to consistently bowl above 130–135 km/h in T20 conditions, while also deploying variations like the slower bouncer that dismissed Cooper Connolly, suggests a bowler who is developing from raw pace into a more complete fast-bowling package.
His hat-trick and six-wicket haul in the 2024 domestic season showed that his pace is backed by the control and consistency to maintain pressure across longer spells. The hat-trick specifically required three consecutive perfect deliveries — something a pace bowler who relies only on speed and has no control could not achieve.
As a Batsman: True Lower-Order Aggression
His 65 off 31 balls in the MPT20 semi-final and his 18 off 8 balls in IPL 2026 paint a consistent picture of a lower-middle-order batsman who scores in bursts that change the momentum of a match. His natural hitting zones are wide, he connects cleanly through the off side and down the ground, and his six-hitting — demonstrated across both performances — suggests real power rather than lucky connecting.
His strike rate in competitive T20 cricket consistently sits above 180 — a number that places him in the category of genuine T20 finishers rather than merely useful lower-order contributors.
Athletic Fielding as a Third Dimension
Beyond batting and bowling, Madhav’s athletic fielding has been noted consistently by Delhi Capitals’ coaching staff. His catch on IPL debut and his evident mobility in the outfield provide a third valuable dimension to his all-round contribution — important for franchise cricket where every aspect of performance is assessed.
Madhav Tiwari vs India’s Other Young Pace-Bowling All-Rounders
The comparison pool for Madhav Tiwari is the group of young Indian fast-bowling all-rounders who are currently building their IPL careers:
| Player | Age | IPL Team | Bowling Style | Primary Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madhav Tiwari | 22 | Delhi Capitals | RM-Fast | Pace + lower order hitting |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 21 | SRH | RM-Fast | Test debut, established IPL career |
| Arshdeep Singh | 25 | PBKS | LM-Fast | Established India T20I star |
| Raj Angad Bawa | 23 | PBKS | RM-Fast | All-round potential |
Nitish Kumar Reddy is the benchmark that Madhav is being measured against — a similarly profiled young fast-bowling all-rounder who has already earned India caps. The gap between Madhav and that milestone is currently domestic opportunity and sustained IPL performance — the same path Reddy walked before his own national recognition.
Career Timeline: Key Milestones
- 2003 — Born September 28 in Mauganj, Madhya Pradesh; family subsequently relocates to Indore
- ~2011 — Begins cricket at age 8; talent noticed by former Ranji player Kushal Chourey
- ~2013 — Joins Amay Khurasiya’s Cricket Academy, Indore; transitions from pure batsman to fast-bowling all-rounder
- ~2016–2019 — Represents Indore Under-15 and subsequently captains Indore Under-18 team
- ~2021 — Makes domestic cricket debut for Madhya Pradesh
- 2023–24 — Becomes top wicket-taker in Madhya Pradesh’s Senior Division MK Bhaya Trophy
- 2024 — Takes a hat-trick in domestic cricket vs Rewa Division; finishes with 6 wickets in the match
- June 2024 — Represents Bhopal Leopards in the inaugural MP T20 League; scores 65 off 31 balls in the semi-final; takes 3 wickets; Bhopal reach the final
- Late 2024 — IPL 2025 auction; Delhi Capitals bid INR 40 Lakhs to secure him after a brief bidding war with Mumbai Indians
- May 8, 2025 — Makes IPL debut for Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings, Dharamsala
- May 11, 2026 — Second IPL appearance; picks up 2/40 and scores 18 off 8 balls; wins Player of the Match against Punjab Kings as DC complete highest ever T20 chase at Dharamsala
- 2026 (ongoing) — Consolidating his position in Delhi Capitals’ IPL setup; regarded as one of Madhya Pradesh’s most exciting young all-round prospects
The Amay Khurasiya Connection: Why It Matters
No examination of Madhav Tiwari’s development is complete without understanding the role of Amay Khurasiya — the former India ODI cricketer and Madhya Pradesh icon under whose academy guidance he developed.
Khurasiya represented India in seven ODIs between 1999 and 2002 and was one of the most celebrated cricketers in Madhya Pradesh’s history before transitioning to coaching and academy development. His academy in Indore has become one of the most respected development environments in central India.
For a young Madhav Tiwari growing up in Indore after relocating from Mauganj, having access to Khurasiya’s academy — and to a coach who understood both the technical demands of professional cricket and the specific developmental needs of fast-bowling all-rounders — was a formative advantage that shaped everything that followed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Madhav Tiwari
Madhav Tiwari is a 22-year-old Indian fast-bowling all-rounder from Mauganj, Madhya Pradesh. He plays domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh and represents Delhi Capitals in the IPL. He became widely known after winning the Player of the Match against Punjab Kings in IPL 2026.
He plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, having been signed in the 2025 IPL Auction at INR 40 Lakhs after a bidding contest with Mumbai Indians.
Madhav made his IPL debut on May 8, 2025, for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala.
In his IPL 2026 appearance against Punjab Kings, Madhav took 2 wickets for 40 runs (dismissing Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly) and scored 18 off 8 balls to help Delhi complete the highest ever successful T20 chase at Dharamsala, winning Player of the Match in the process.
He was born in Mauganj, Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh and grew up in Indore after his family relocated there, attending Delhi Public School, Indore.
He trained at Amay Khurasiya’s Cricket Academy in Indore — one of Madhya Pradesh’s most respected cricket development institutions, under the guidance of the former India ODI cricketer.
He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler who bowls with genuine pace and has the ability to deploy variations including the slower bouncer — the delivery that dismissed Cooper Connolly in IPL 2026.
His best domestic T20 innings was 65 off 31 balls (SR: ~209) in the MP T20 League 2024 semi-final for Bhopal Leopards against Rewa Jaguars — an innings that played a crucial role in Bhopal reaching the final.
Yes. In 2024, Madhav took a hat-trick in a domestic match against Rewa Division in Madhya Pradesh cricket and finished that match with six wickets — one of the standout domestic performances of his career.
After his Player of the Match performance in IPL 2026, when asked whether he sees himself primarily as a bowler, Madhav said: “I’m 100% bowler and 100% batter” — a line that captures his all-round identity and became one of the most shared quotes from IPL 2026.
Final Thoughts
Madhav Tiwari is the kind of cricketer whose story makes you want to keep watching — not because it’s already complete, but because it’s clearly just beginning. The boy from Mauganj who relocated to Indore, trained under a former India cricketer, took a hat-trick in domestic cricket, lit up the MP T20 League with a 65-ball 31-delivery assault, missed his sister’s wedding for a match, and then stood in the middle of Dharamsala with a Player of the Match trophy and the entire country watching — that’s not a finished story. That’s a prologue.
His Delhi Capitals career, his domestic Madhya Pradesh standing, and his claim to being a genuinely two-dimensional all-rounder are all still early-stage. The trajectory he has established in his first two serious years of professional cricket is one of the steepest in Indian domestic cricket. What comes next — and how far that trajectory extends — is the most compelling question young Indian cricket has right now.
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