Danish Malewar emerges as rising star in Indian domestic cricket

Danish Malewar, a 21-year-old cricketer from Vidarbha, is gaining attention for his strong domestic performances. Signed by Mumbai Indians for IPL 2026, he played a key role in Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy campaign and is seen as a promising talent

Hyderabad: Danish Malewar is a 21-year-old right-handed top-order batter and right-arm leg-break bowler from Nagpur, Vidarbha, widely regarded as a rising talent in Indian domestic cricket.

Known for his consistency in red-ball cricket and attacking intent in shorter formats, he was bought at Rs 30 lakh (base price) by Mumbai Indians for IPL 2026.

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Malewar began his cricketing journey at the City Gymkhana Academy under coaches Swaroopraj Shrivastava and Nitin Gawande, who quickly recognised his discipline and determination. Joining at just seven years old, he progressed rapidly and represented the Vidarbha Under-14 side by age 12. His strong work ethic became evident early. Once returning from a tour at 2 am, he insisted on playing an Under-14 final the next morning and scored a century despite minimal rest.

A key contributor to Vidarbha’s title-winning Ranji Trophy campaign, Malewar scored 783 runs in nine matches during the 2024–25 season at an average of 52, including two centuries and six half-centuries, finishing as the team’s third-highest run-scorer. Comfortable at No. 3, he embraces the responsibility of building innings, focusing on seeing off the new ball and batting deep into matches. His approach reflects patience and clarity, having faced 100 or more deliveries in half of his innings so far.

Malewar aims to develop his own batting identity, drawing inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar and KL Rahul, while striving to master every shot in the book, from drives to flicks and sweeps. Many in the Vidarbha cricketing fraternity believe this is only the beginning of a promising journey.