Ashwani Kumar is the third MI bowler to take a wicket on his first ball of IPL debut.
Ashwani Kumar, a left-arm seamer, sparkled on his IPL debut with 4/24 as the Mumbai Indians' seamers dismissed the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders for 116 in 16.2 overs, the lowest score of the season, here on Monday in the ongoing IPL 2025.
After Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult made early inroads in the powerplay, the 23-year-old Ashwani broke the Knight Riders' back by accounting for Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, impact sub Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell.
KKR had a terrible start, with openers Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine falling within the first two overs, and by the end of the powerplay, the visitors had slipped to 41/4.
On a fresh pitch at the Wankhede Stadium that offered bounce and swing with the new ball, MI bowlers took advantage of KKR hitters' inaction. Boult outwitted Narine with a fuller one that swung away to finish him off in the first over.
In the next over, Chahar had de Kock caught at mid-off with Ashwani timing his jump perfectly to complete a sharp grab.
Ashwani Kumar then sprang into action as he dismissed Ajinkya Rahane on the first ball he bowled in the IPL for MI. By the time the dust settled, Ashwani Kumar had picked 4/24, as MI was dismissed for 116 runs.
With that stellar effort, Ashwani became the first Indian to take four wickets in his maiden IPL outing.
Speaking to the host broadcaster after the KKR innings, Ashwani Kumar revealed that he had eaten one banana as he was nervous and not hungry. He revealed the tips he received from the senior MI members and also Captain Hardik Pandya.
“I felt very good; there was pressure, but the team environment helped me to settle down. I didn’t have lunch today; I only ate a banana. There was some pressure, so I didn’t feel hungry. I made a bit of a plan; they (team management) told me that it was my debut match, so enjoy yourself and back your skills. The captain also played his role; Hardik bhai told me to bowl it into the wicket. Everyone back in the village will be watching me play. I got my opportunity today, and I’m very happy,” Ashwani Kumar told the host broadcaster.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 26, and Ramandeep Singh, 22, were the only ones to cross the 20-run mark for KKR in their sorry batting innings.