Who is Madhav Tiwari? Delhi Capitals rookie who never played senior domestic cricket shines in IPL

Madhav Tiwari has become one of the most talked-about young players in IPL 2026 after his impressive performance for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Monday.

Playing only his second IPL match, the youngster delivered an all-round show and even won the Player of the Match award as Delhi Capitals pulled off a thrilling three-wicket win to stay alive in the playoff race.

Who is Madhav Tiwari?

Tiwari is a talented lower-middle-order batter and a handy medium-fast bowler from Madhya Pradesh. Interestingly, he is yet to play senior domestic cricket for his state team, but has already managed to break into the IPL with Delhi Capitals.

The young cricketer first gained attention through strong performances in local and franchise tournaments in Madhya Pradesh. He was part of the Bhopal Leopards in the Madhya Pradesh Premier League for two seasons and impressed many with his pace, swing bowling and batting ability.

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Delhi Capitals picked him up for Rs 40 lakh ahead of IPL 2025 after noticing his talent. He made his IPL debut last season against Mumbai Indians, where he scored three runs but did not get an opportunity to bowl.

However, things changed in Dharamsala on Monday night. Tiwari made a big impact with both bat and ball in his first match this season as his team was desperately looking for a win to stay alive in the competition.

While bowling, he picked up his first IPL wicket by dismissing Priyansh Arya, who was looking dangerous after smashing 56 off just 33 balls. Tiwari finished with two wickets and helped Delhi restrict Punjab to 210/5.

DC found themselves under pressure during the chase after losing wickets regularly. That was when Tiwari stepped up with a valuable cameo of 18 runs and played an important role alongside Ashutosh Sharma in keeping DC alive in the match.

Earlier, David Miller and captain Axar Patel led the comeback with aggressive half-centuries as Delhi completed the highest successful run chase at the HPCA Stadium. Shreyas Iyer also played the captain's knock tonight, but PBKS' bowling and fielding handed them their fourth consecutive loss of the season.