In a stunning debut, 23-year-old Ashwani Kumar took a wicket on his very first ball in the Indian Premier League, setting the tone for Mumbai Indians‘ dominant performance against Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Hailing from Punjab, the left-arm pacer was signed by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 30 lakh in the 2025 mega auction. Although he was part of the Punjab Kings squad last season, he didn’t get a chance to play. However, his performances in domestic cricket, particularly in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 tournament where he took 4/36 for BLV Blasters, caught the attention of the Mumbai Indians’ scouts.
Ashwani made an immediate impact, dismissing KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane on his first ball. He didn’t stop there, going on to take the wickets of Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and the dangerous Andre Russell. His bowling was instrumental in Mumbai Indians reducing KKR to 116/10 in 16.2 overs.
Debut straight out of a storybook 📖
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2025
The perfect first chapter for Ashwani Kumar 👌👌
Updates ▶ https://t.co/iEwchzDRNM#TATAIPL | #MIvKKR | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/npaynbIViX
Mumbai Indians, playing their first home game after two away losses, won the toss and chose to bowl. Their decision paid off as they sent half of KKR’s batting lineup back to the dugout inside the first seven overs.
The five-time champions have been giving opportunities to domestic players this season. Besides Ashwani, they handed debuts to Kerala’s Vignesh Puthur and Andhra’s Satyanarayana Raju in previous matches.
As of now, KKR has made a score of 116/10 in 16.2 overs. Mumbai Indians will be looking to wrap up the innings quickly and chase down the target to secure their first win of the season
