Akash Madhwal Greets Rohit Sharma with Folded Hands in Heartwarming Post-Match Moment

Rajasthan Royals pacer Akash Madhwal was seen greeting Rohit Sharma with folded hands as a gesture of respect after the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday.

Madhwal, who previously played for Mumbai, made his debut under Rohit’s captaincy and now represents Rajasthan after being picked up in the recent auction.

A Moment of Reverence and Nostalgia

After the match, a brief exchange between Madhwal and Rohit took place near the post-match presentation area. A video capturing the interaction went viral on social media.

In the video, Rohit pointed towards his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, seated in the stands, and Madhwal greeted her with folded hands as well.

Madhwal also had his Rajasthan Royals jersey signed by Rohit Sharma, underlining the emotional value of the moment.

Madhwal’s IPL 2025 Appearance

Akash Madhwal was acquired by Rajasthan Royals for ₹1.2 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction. His only appearance this season came against his former team, Mumbai Indians.

However, it was not a successful outing for him, as he went wicketless and conceded 39 runs in his four-over spell.

Emotional Reunion with Former Franchise

This particular match held special significance for Madhwal. It was with Mumbai Indians that he made his IPL debut two seasons ago.

During that debut season, he delivered one of the best performances by an uncapped Indian, taking 5 wickets for just 5 runs against Lucknow Super Giants.

Thursday’s match at Jaipur featured three former Mumbai Indians bowlers—Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, and Jofra Archer—now playing for Rajasthan Royals. For Madhwal, the encounter turned into an emotional reunion.

Mumbai Indians’ Dominance Continues

Mumbai Indians extended their winning streak to six consecutive matches with a commanding 100-run win over Rajasthan Royals.

With this result, they climbed to the top of the points table, marking a significant comeback from their early-season struggles that had seen them languish in ninth place after five matches.

Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton gave Mumbai a strong start, scoring 53 and 61 respectively.

Their innings were followed by aggressive knocks from Suryakumar Yadav (48* off 23) and Hardik Pandya (48* off 23), powering Mumbai to a formidable 217 for 2.

Rajasthan Royals Collapse in Run Chase

Despite successfully chasing down 210 runs against Gujarat Titans just three nights earlier, Rajasthan Royals failed to replicate their performance.

Their innings never gained momentum and they were bowled out for a mere 117 in 16.1 overs.

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who had stunned everyone with a 35-ball century earlier in the week, was dismissed for a duck, caught at mid-on off Deepak Chahar in the opening over.

His opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal hit two sixes off Trent Boult in the next over before being bowled by the New Zealander. The rest of the innings turned into a batting collapse.

Playoff Hopes Fade for Rajasthan

This loss marked Rajasthan’s eighth defeat in 11 matches, effectively pushing them out of contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs.

Mumbai, meanwhile, notched up their seventh win in 11 games. Just one more victory is likely enough for the five-time champions to secure a playoff berth.

Mumbai Indians are set to play their next game against Gujarat Titans on May 6 at home, as they look to maintain their winning momentum.