Who is Ashwani Kumar? All you need to know about the MI bowler who picked up a 4-fer on his IPL debut

Ashwani Kumar became the first Indian bowler to take a 4-fer on his IPL debut.

Ashwani Kumar, a left-arm pacer of Mumbai Indians (MI), made a spectacular Indian Premier League (IPL) debut on Monday against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium, taking a wicket with his first ball.

On Monday, March 31, MI, the five-time champions, hosted KKR in the 12th IPL 2025 match. The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is the venue for the contest between the two elite teams. After winning the toss, MI captain Hardik Pandya chose to field first.

The 23-year-old Ashwani became the fourth MI bowler to take a wicket with his first ball on his IPL debut. After Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar removed the KKR openers in the first two overs. In the fourth over, Ashwani removed KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane.

Tilak Varma made Ashwini’s breakthrough with a spectacular catch after he fumbled at first but swiftly recovered to finish a one-handed grab at a deep backward point.  

He then proceeded to break the Knight Riders’ back by selecting the wickets of Rinku Singh, impact substitute Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell. In the 17th over, KKR were dismissed for a mere 116 runs, thanks to his outstanding bowling and the assistance of other MI bowlers.

Who is Ashwani Kumar?

Ashwani is a native of Mohali, Punjab, and has played First-Class, List A, and Twenty20 cricket for Punjab. Before making his IPL debut, Ashwani had only participated in four senior T20 matches, two Ranji Trophy games, and four List A appearances. His four-wicket haul startled the cricketing world.

He has played 2 FC, 4 List-A, and 4 T20 matches for Punjab, making his debut in 2019. He has a total of nine wickets across formats in domestic cricket. He has established himself as a death-over expert with a wide range of skills. He participated in four games during his debut for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2022. During the competition, he claimed three wickets with an economy rate of 8.5.

He was a member of the Punjab Kings team in 2024, although he didn’t play a single game for the team. But at the IPL 2025 mega-auction, Ashwani Kumar was signed by MI for Rs 30 lakhs. This was after he impressed the MI scouts with his lively bowling in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 Trophy in 2024.

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