Aswani Kumar became the first Indian player to debut with a Four-fer – 4/24 in IPL history.
With an eight-wicket victory over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, Mumbai Indians (MI) finally got on board this season.
Their previous record of 9-2 against KKR at Wankhede Stadium was taken to 10-2, all thanks to Ashwani Kumar’s destructive bowling and Ryan Rickelton’s impressive batting. Ashwani Kumar, who debuted this season for MI picked up the best figures by an Indian player on debut – 4/24 to knock KKR over for 116.
KKR’s Innings
Mumbai Indians won the toss and skipper Hardik Pandya opted to bowl, which was a calculated move by MI as Kolkata Knight Riders crumbled for 116 in 16.2 overs, all credit to debutant Ashwani Kumar, who registered the best bowling figure by an Indian player in IPL debut. Quinton de Kock entered the ground and could produce only a run when Ashwani leaped high to catch out the batter. The left-arm pacer was brought in for the 4th over, and he sent back skipper Ajinkya Rahane to the pavilion with his very first delivery for just 11 runs.
Skipper Hardik Pandya struck in the seventh over to dismiss Angkrish Raghuvanshi for 26 off 16. Ashwani was still not done as he kicked out Rinku Singh (17 off 14), and shortly after, Manish Pandey (19 off 14) in his second over. Later, in the third over, Andre Russell was bowled by Ashwani, 23 for 5 runs. For the 24 runs he gave, he took 4 wickets in three overs.
Vignesh Puthur later joined the team, replacing Harshit Rana (4). Ramandeep Singh (22) attempted to hit some boundaries but was unable to contribute significantly, ultimately getting out in the 17th over, which marked the conclusion of the first innings.
Mumbai Indians Swift Gameplay
Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack restricted the KKR’s total to 116, paving the way for an effortless run chase of 117. While their bowlers had displayed their terrific attack in the first innings, the batters, especially Ryan Rickelton, scored 62 off 41 balls.
Rohit Sharma opened the innings for MI with Ryan Rickelton. However, Sharma was dismissed by Andre Russell for just 13 runs. Will Jacks replaced Sharma, however, he could only score 16 runs when he was smashed by Russell again. Suryakumar Yadav (27*) entered the ground and concluded the game with his match-winning six for MI.
SCORECARD: KKR vs MI, 12th Match, IPL 2025, Mumbai, Mar 31 2025
Kolkata Knight Riders 116/9
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi (26 off 16)
- Ramandeep Singh (22 off 12)
- Manish Pandey (19 off 14)
- Andre Russell 2/35 (2.5)
- Varun Chakravarthy 0/12 (3)
- Spencer Johnson 0/14 (2)
Mumbai Indians 121/2
- Ryan Rickelton (62* off 41)
- Suryakumar Yadav (27* off 9)
- Will Jacks (16 off 17)
- Ashwani Kumar 4/24 (3)
- Deepak Chahar 2/19 (2)
- Hardik Pandya 1/10 (2)
Read More: Ashwani Kumar Breaks Record in His First Game for MI
