The team that gave us Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav has just pulled another rising star out of their magic hat—Ashwani Kumar. If you didn’t know his name before, well, you definitely do now!
Making his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians, the 23-year-old pacer wasted no time announcing himself. With his very first ball, he sent Ajinkya Rahane packing! A mistimed shot, a fumbling catch by Tilak Varma, and boom—Ashwani had his dream start. But he wasn’t done yet.
What followed was pure carnage. He scalped Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell, becoming the first Indian bowler to take four wickets on IPL debut. That’s not just making an entrance—that’s kicking the door down!
But Ashwani’s journey didn’t start here. Born in Mohali, he first made waves in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 tournament, proving himself as a reliable death-over specialist. In 2024, he was with Punjab Kings but never got a game. That changed when Mumbai Indians snapped him up for ₹30 lakh in the IPL 2025 mega auction—and boy, was that a steal!
His numbers before IPL? Decent, but unnoticed. A few games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, First-Class, and List A cricket, but nothing flashy. But now? He holds the best bowling figures on IPL debut by an Indian (3-0-24-4) and is one of only 10 bowlers to take a wicket on their very first IPL delivery.
Looks like Mumbai Indians have done it again—another young star, another game-changer. Keep an eye on Ashwani Kumar, because this is just the beginning.
