IPL 2025: Ashwani's 4-24 & Rickelton's maiden fifty propel MI to 8-wicket victory over KKR
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Synopsis
On March 31, 2025, Ryan Rickelton's remarkable unbeaten half-century and Ashwani Kumar's stunning 4-24 bowling performance propelled the Mumbai Indians to an 8-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium. This win marked Mumbai's first points in IPL 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Ashwani Kumar shines on debut with 4-24.
- Ryan Rickelton scores his maiden IPL fifty.
- Mumbai Indians secure their first win of IPL 2025.
- Kolkata Knight Riders struggle with batting.
- Match played at Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai, March 31 (NationPress) Ryan Rickelton delivered an impressive unbeaten half-century after the young debutant pacer Ashwani Kumar wreaked havoc on the Kolkata Knight Riders with a remarkable 4-24 performance, leading the Mumbai Indians to secure their first points in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 with an emphatic eight-wicket triumph at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Rickelton, who recently made headlines with a record double century for South Africa, seized the favorable conditions to achieve his maiden IPL fifty off just 33 balls, contributing to Mumbai Indians' chase of 121 runs with a score of 121/2 in only 12.5 overs, after restricting KKR to a mere 116 runs in 16.2 overs.
He finished with an impressive 62 not out from 41 deliveries, including four boundaries and five sixes, forming crucial partnerships of 46 runs with Rohit Sharma (13) and 45 runs with Will Jacks (16) for the first and second wickets, respectively. Suryakumar Yadav wrapped up the match with a six, remaining unbeaten on 27 off just nine balls, as Mumbai clinched victory comfortably.
The standout performance of the day belonged to Ashwani Kumar, who recorded the best figures by an Indian bowler on IPL debut, setting the stage for the Mumbai Indians' success.
Ashwani made a sensational debut, achieving a four-wicket haul in his very first match as the Mumbai Indians took full advantage of the supportive Wankhede pitch, dismissing the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders for 116 runs in Match 12 of IPL 2025.
With figures of 4-24, Ashwani executed a strategic bowling plan, utilizing short deliveries to extract extra bounce from the lively wicket, resulting in him becoming the first Indian bowler to take four wickets on his IPL debut. His 4-24 stands as the best debut figures for an Indian bowler in IPL history.
The 23-year-old left-arm seamer from Jhanjeri, a town near Mohali in Punjab, began his impressive spell by dismissing Ajinkya Rahane with his very first ball, then went on to claim the wickets of Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell, achieving his inaugural four-wicket haul.
Deepak Chahar contributed with figures of 2-19, while Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, Vignesh Puthur, and Mitchell Santner each took a wicket, ensuring the defending champions struggled to last their full quota of 20 overs, barely reaching three figures.
Earlier, Sunil Narine made a brief return to the playing XI as Trent Boult bowled him out on the fourth ball of the match, while Quinton de Kock (1) fell to Chahar on the first ball of the second over.
Ashwani quickly made his mark, claiming a wicket on the very first ball of his debut match, sending Ajinkya Rahane (11) back to the pavilion after he had struck a boundary off Chahar and a six off Boult. KKR found themselves reeling at 25/3.
The situation worsened as Venkatesh Iyer edged a delivery from Chahar to Ryan Rickelton, and Hardik Pandya dismissed Angkrish Raghuvanshi after a 16-ball innings that yielded 26 runs.
Rinku, the aggressive batsman from Uttar Pradesh, couldn't take advantage of his opportunity and fell for 17 runs, falling prey to Ashwani's second wicket after attempting to hit a short delivery.
Ashwani soon claimed his third wicket as Impact Substitute Manish Pandey (19) played onto his stumps after hitting a boundary and a six off Puthur.
The young bowler completed his four-wicket haul by outsmarting Andre Russell with a combination of short balls followed by a fuller delivery, leading to KKR collapsing to 88/8. Ramandeep Singh and Harshit Rana managed to hit a couple of sixes, allowing the defending champions to scrape past 100 before being all out for 116, a target that the Mumbai Indians chased down with ease.
Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 26, Ramandeep Singh 22; Ashwani Kumar 4-24, Deepak Chahar 2-19) lost to Mumbai Indians 121/2 in 12.5 overs (Ryan Rickelton 62 not out, Suryakumar Yadav 27 not out; Andre Russell 2-35).
