Hardik Pandya might have briefly overlooked the name of his debutant during the toss, but 23-year-old Ashwani Kumar ensured he would leave a lasting impression. The left-arm seamer from Punjab produced a remarkable performance, taking 4 wickets for just 24 runs, which helped the Mumbai Indians dismiss the Kolkata Knight Riders for a mere 116 runs. They successfully chased down this target with relative ease, thanks to an unbeaten half-century from Ryan Rickelton, marking their first victory in IPL 2025.
Ashwani Kumar bowls out KKR on IPL debut match
Trent Boult established an early advantage by securing his 30th IPL first-over wicket, toppling Sunil Narine’s stumps with a swinging full delivery. The dominance of MI persisted as Deepak Chahar took two wickets, while debutant Ashwani made an immediate impression by dismissing KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane with his very first delivery. This collapse left KKR struggling with the lowest PowerPlay score of the season. KKR’s difficulties escalated when Hardik Pandya removed the threatening Angkrish Raghuvanshi (26 off 16) with a short ball, aided by a well-positioned fielder in the deep.
In an effort to strengthen their batting lineup, KKR brought in Manish Pandey as an impact substitute, but it proved ineffective. Ashwani continued to shine during this period, skillfully setting up and eliminating crucial batters. He had Rinku Singh caught at deep cover and then outsmarted both Manish Pandey and Andre Russell with short balls followed by precisely aimed length deliveries that struck the stumps. His remarkable spell left KKR in disarray. Ramandeep Singh attempted a brief counterattack with two sixes, but Mitchell Santner concluded the innings with 22 balls remaining, highlighting MI’s commanding bowling performance.
Mumbai Indians chase down the target easily
KKR’s opening bowling pair, Spencer Johnson and Harshit Rana, exhibited remarkable swing and consistently troubled the batsmen, yet they were unable to secure an early wicket. Ryan Rickelton eventually released the pressure, targeting Johnson with a six and a four, and then outdid himself against Rana in the next over by hitting a six along with two additional boundaries. The only challenge for MI came from their former captain Rohit Sharma, who struggled to find his rhythm before being dismissed by a well-placed short ball from Andre Russell.
Rickelton was determined not to prolong the chase. He aggressively faced Narine, hitting a slog-swept six in the seventh over, followed by two more sixes in the tenth over, which helped him achieve his first IPL half-century in just 33 balls. Russell struck again, dismissing Will Jacks, but Suryakumar Yadav entered the game in explosive form, scoring an unbeaten 27 off merely nine balls to complete the chase with 7.1 overs remaining. The Mumbai Indians will next travel to play LSG at the Ekana Stadium on April 4, while KKR will return home to face SRH on April 3 in a rematch of last year’s final.
SCORECARD: Kolkata Knight Riders 116 in 16.2 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 26; 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 8 wickets.
