IPL 2025: Ashwani's 4-24 on debut propels MI to dismiss KKR for 116
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Synopsis
Mumbai Indians' Ashwani Kumar dazzled on his IPL debut, taking 4-24 to lead his team in bundling out Kolkata Knight Riders for just 116 runs in Match 12 of IPL 2025, showcasing exceptional bowling skills.
Key Takeaways
- Ashwani Kumar achieved 4-24 on his IPL debut.
- Mumbai Indians dismissed KKR for 116 runs.
- Trent Boult's yorker bowled out Sunil Narine on the fourth ball.
- KKR struggled with early wickets, at 41/4 in the power-play.
- Match 12 of IPL 2025 showcased outstanding bowling.
Mumbai, March 31 (NationPress) Ashwani Kumar achieved an extraordinary milestone on his debut, securing four wickets as Mumbai Indians took full advantage of the Wankhede pitch, managing to dismiss the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders for just 116 in Match 12 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Monday.
The atmosphere in their home ground revitalized the Mumbai Indians, as Hardik Pandya's squad demonstrated exceptional bowling skills, effectively utilizing the early conditions after opting to bowl first.
Ashwani (4-24) made history by becoming the first Indian bowler to achieve four wickets in his IPL debut. His figures of 4-24 stand as the best by any Indian bowler on debut.
This 23-year-old left-arm seamer hailing from Jhanjeri, near Mohali in Punjab, consistently bowled short of length, generating extra bounce that left the KKR batsmen perplexed. His dismissals of Manish Pandey and Andre Russell had the crowd cheering in excitement.
Earlier in the match, Sunil Narine made a brief appearance, as Trent Boult removed his middle-stump on the fourth ball with a magnificent in-swinging yorker, marking the score at 1/1.
Quinton de Kock (1) was dismissed by Deepak Chahar on the very first ball of the second over, attempting to clear the 30-yard circle but failing to gain enough elevation. Ashwani Kumar leapt to complete an impressive catch.
Ashwani soon made his mark, taking his first wicket on the very ball of his debut, as Ajinkya Rahane attempted a boundary but ended up giving a catch to Tilak Varma at deep backward point. Rahane scored 11 runs off 7 balls, leaving KKR struggling at 25/3 in the fourth over.
It only got worse from there, as Venkatesh Iyer edged one to Ryan Rickelton from Chahar, and at the end of the power-play, KKR found themselves at 41/4 after Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed by Hardik Pandya after a 16-ball innings that garnered 26 runs.
Pandya expertly rotated his bowlers, giving them short spells of 1-2 overs, and brought himself on for a two-over spell, achieving immediate success. By the seventh over, KKR was at 45/5 as the Mumbai bowlers continued to bowl to the pitch's advantages.
Rinku and Manish Pandey managed to take them past fifty runs, but it was evident that it was not KKR's day. Rinku, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, couldn't seize the opportunity to build an innings and fell for 17 runs, with Ashwani claiming his second wicket. Rinku had previously hit a big six off Vignesh Puthur, but fell victim to Ashwani's short delivery, hitting it straight to Naman Dhir at deep point.
Ashwani quickly added a third wicket when Manish Pandey was bowled out after hitting a boundary off the left-arm pacer. Pandey had scored 19 runs off 14 balls.
Ashwani's fourth wicket came when Andre Russell fell to a full delivery after two short ones, leaving KKR reeling at 88/8 in the 13th over.
Vignesh Puthur claimed his first victim of the day by dismissing Harshit Rana, who attempted a slog shot, leading to a catch at deep mid-wicket from Naman Dhir. Puthur was soon substituted out for Rohit Sharma, and KKR concluded their innings at 116, bolstered by a couple of big hits from Ramandeep Singh (22).
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 116/10 in 16.2 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 26, Ramandeep Singh 22; Ashwani Kumar 4-24, Deepak Chahar 2-19) vs Mumbai Indians.
