Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya was full of praise for the team’s talent scouts after left-arm seamer Ashwani Kumar produced a dream debut, claiming 4-24 to set up an emphatic eight-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
It is all the scouts - they picked him. They have gone to all the places and picked these young kids. We thought Ashwani could come in and bowl the way he bowled. He was terrific. The way he took that wicket of Russell was a crucial moment, and how he jumped up to take that catch of de Kock was equally impressive.
The 23-year-old from Jhanjheri in Punjab made an instant impact, dismissing KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane with his first ball. He then sent back Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell, dismantling the middle order as KKR were bowled out for just 116 in 16.2 overs.
It is a big thing for me that I got this opportunity and this award. Never thought about this, just followed my process. Coming from Jhanjheri to here is a result of my hard work and god's grace. I was confident but a little nervous, thinking about what would happen. My only message to people back home is that I want to make you all proud in the upcoming games.
Pandya revealed how the young seamer caught the team's attention.
"We played a practice game, and he had that zip, that late swing, something off the wicket, a different action, and he was a leftie. It was a no-brainer to back him," said Pandya.
Chasing a modest total, Mumbai Indians reached the target in just 12.5 overs, with Ryan Rickelton anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 62 off 41 balls, laced with four boundaries and five sixes. Suryakumar Yadav added a blistering 27 off nine balls to seal the victory with 43 balls to spare.
It was nibbling around quite a lot, lucky to get a few away early on to calm me down. The pitch had both pace and bounce. Credit to our bowlers for quickly adapting and restricting a quality team to a low total.
The only slight concern for Mumbai Indians was Rohit Sharma's form, who managed only 13 runs after coming in as an Impact Substitute.
Mumbai Indians, bouncing back after defeats to Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans, will face Lucknow Super Giants in an away fixture on April 4. Meanwhile, KKR will look to recover when they host Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens on April 3.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 116 in 16.2 overs (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*, Suryakumar Yadav 27*; Andre Russell 2-35) by eight wickets.
