Early days
Ashwani Kumar, a 23-year-old left-arm pacer from Mohali, had made his first-class debut for Punjab in 2019, made his List A debut in 2021, and his T20 debut in 2022. Even after making his first-class debut at the age of 18, he was never a regular commodity in the team. It took him three years to play in his second first-class match.
So far, he had played only 2 first-class matches, 4 List A matches, and 4 T20 matches before making his IPL debut yesterday. In those 4 T20 matches, he had picked up only 2 wickets.
Sher E Punjab T20 Cup
Ashwani Kumar played in last year’s Sher E Punjab T20 cup, which is a regional T20 Tournament in Punjab for the team called Agri King S Knights. This tournament was the game-changer for him. This is where IPL scouting teams identified his talent.
He was also shortlisted by other IPL teams such as Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. But those teams rejected him after the trials. Mumbai Indians had faith in him and brought him in the mega auction for 30 Lakh.
IPL Entry
He didn’t get the chance in the play X1 for the first 2 matches. In the third match against the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, he got his debut cap. MI made him play in their first home game at Wankhede, which will perfectly suit him.
Ashwani Kumar proved his worth and justified the trust which MI management had in him by taking the wicket of the KKR Skipper Rahane in his first ball. He continued his dream spell by dismissing the key batters of KKR like Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, and Rinku Singh.
Ashwani Kumar finished his debut spell for MI with 3-24-4. He became the first Indian to take a four-wicket haul in his IPL debut. He also became the fourth left-arm pacer to pick a 4-wicket haul for MI following Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan, and Daniel Sams.
He also becomes the first Indian left-arm pacer to achieve this feat for the Mumbai Indians.
Also Read: MI vs KKR: Ashwani Kumar Rattles KKR’s Batting Unit On IPL Debut