IPL 2025: Ashwani Kumar had a dream start to his IPL career! The 23-year-old fast bowler took a wicket with his very first ball on debut. Playing for Mumbai Indians in place of Satyanarayana Raju, Ashwani proved his worth by dismissing KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane.
IPL 2025: Ashwani Kumar Created History On His Dream IPL Debut
Rahane mistimed his shot, sending the ball towards deep backward point, where Tilak Varma caught it, though he fumbled a bit at first. Ashwani celebrated right away, marking a perfect start to his IPL journey!
But Ashwani wasn’t done yet! He went on to dismiss Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell, becoming the first Indian bowler to take four wickets on IPL debut.
With his spectacular spell, Ashwani etched his name in the history books! He became only the third Mumbai Indians bowler, and the 10th overall, to take a wicket with his very first ball in an IPL debut. Before him, Ali Murtaza and Alzarri Joseph had achieved the same milestone for MI.
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Wicket on the first ball on IPL debut for Mumbai Indians
- 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)*
Best figures on IPL debut
- Alzarri Joseph (MI) – 6/12 vs SRH (2019)
- Andrew Tye (GL) – 5/17 vs RPS (2017)
- Shoaib Akhtar (KKR) – 4/11 vs DD (2008)
- Ashwani Kumar (MI) – 4/24 vs KKR (2025)*
- Kevon Cooper (RR) – 4/26 vs KXIP (2012)
- David Wiese (RCB) – 4/33 vs MI (2015)
Who is Ashwani Kumar?
Hailing from Mohali, Ashwani first made a name for himself in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 tournament. Known for his skills in the death overs, he was picked up by Mumbai Indians for ₹30 lakh in the IPL 2025 mega auction. In 2024, he was part of the Punjab Kings squad but didn’t get a chance to play.
Ashwani made his debut for Punjab in the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, playing four matches and taking three wickets with an economy rate of 8.5.
He has also represented Punjab in two First-Class matches and four List-A games.
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