Who is Ashwani Kumar? MI's debutant pacer who took a wicket on first ball vs KKR

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Ashwani Kumar, a left-arm pacer for Mumbai Indians, had a memorable IPL debut by taking a wicket with his first ball against Kolkata Knight Riders. His breakthrough came with a spectacular catch by Tilak Varma. This early strike helped Mumbai Indians dominate the game. Ashwani, from Punjab, impressed in his eagerly anticipated debut.

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians’ left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar had a dream debut in the IPL, striking with his very first delivery against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium.

The 23-year-old dismissed KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane in the fourth over, becoming the fourth MI bowler to claim a wicket with his first ball in the tournament.

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Ali Murtaza, Alzarri Joseph and Dewald Brevis had achieved the feat for MI before Ashwini.

Wicket on the first ball on IPL debut for MI

Ali Murtaza vs RR, 2010 (Naman Ojha)
Alzarri Joseph vs SRH, 2019 (David Warner)
Dewald Brevis vs RCB, 2022 (Virat Kohli)
Ashwani Kumar vs KKR, 2025 (Ajinkya Rahane)*

Ashwini’s breakthrough came courtesy of a stunning catch by Tilak Varma, who initially fumbled but recovered quickly to complete a one-handed grab at deep backward point.

Hailing from a town called Jhanjeri, near Chandigarh, Ashwani has previously represented Punjab in first-class, List A, and T20 cricket. He has played just four senior T20 matches before his IPL debut — alongside two Ranji Trophy and four List A appearances — Ashwani stunned the cricketing world with a four-wicket haul.

Ashwini returned figures of 4 for 24 in 3 overs, making him the first Indian ever to claim four wickets on IPL debut.

This was the first time in his career that Ashwani picked up four wickets in a single match. His previous best figures were 3/37 in List A cricket and 1/19 in T20s.

Ashwani’s dream debut has added a new dimension to Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack, and his performance will surely make him a key player to watch in the ongoing season.

After being sent in to bat by MI skipper Hardik Pandya, KKR were bowled out for 116 in 16.2 overs, with Ashwani’s strikes setting the tone for MI’s dominance.

Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.

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