Mumbai Indians’ Ashwani Kumar Makes Historic IPL Debut With Four-Wicket Haul

Mumbai Indians’ (MI) left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar made a sensational debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL), claiming a wicket with his very first ball against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. The 23-year-old dismissed KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane in the fourth over, becoming the fourth MI bowler to achieve this feat.

Ashwani Joins Elite List of MI Debutants

Ashwani joins an exclusive list of MI bowlers who have taken a wicket with their first IPL delivery, following in the footsteps of Ali Murtaza, Alzarri Joseph, and Dewald Brevis. His breakthrough came thanks to a stunning effort by Tilak Varma, who initially fumbled the catch but quickly recovered to grab it one-handed at deep backward point.

A Rising Star from Mohali

Hailing from Mohali, Punjab, Ashwani Kumar has represented Punjab in first-class, List A, and T20 cricket. Before making his IPL debut, he had played only four senior T20 matches, along with two Ranji Trophy games and four List A appearances.

Record-Breaking Performance

Ashwani’s IPL debut turned into a dream start as he delivered an impressive 4/24 in 3 overs, making him the first Indian ever to take four wickets on IPL debut. This was also the best performance of his career so far, surpassing his previous best figures of 3/37 in List A cricket and 1/19 in T20s.

His early strikes set the tone for Mumbai Indians’ dominant performance, as KKR were bowled out for just 116 runs in 16.2 overs after being put in to bat by MI skipper Hardik Pandya. With this remarkable spell, Ashwani Kumar has emerged as a key bowler to watch in the ongoing IPL season.

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