‘I didn’t have lunch, just ate a banana': Ashwani Kumar stumps Ravi Shastri after derailing KKR with record IPL debut
After a record 4/24 on IPL debut, Ashwani Kumar told Shastri he didn't have lunch before the match as he was feeling a lot of pressure. All he ate was a banana.
There are many things that a banana can do. For instance, to give you enough fuel to become the first Indian cricketer in IPL history to bag four wickets on debut. Don't believe us? Listen to Mumbai Indians' latest crop of scouting, Ashwani Kumar. After earning Player of the Match for his stunning performance on debut, which got MI off the mark in IPL 2025 after starting with successive losses, Ashwani told Ravi Shastri he didn't have lunch before the match as he was feeling a lot of pressure. All he ate was a banana.
"This is your first match. In IPL history, no Indian bowler has taken four wickets on debut. What did you have for lunch?" asked former India head coach Shastri in the mid-innings interview.
“Lunch toh kia hi nahi that. Bas ek banana khaa ke aa gaya that kyuki pressure itna that ki bhukh nahi lagi thhi (I just had a banana because there was pressure, so was not feeling very hungry)," replied the young left-arm pacer.
"Bohut zabardast! Banana rakkho bag mein hamesha (Superb! Always keep a banana in your bad)," Shastri added.
Kumar's 4-24 -- and an overall disciplined bowling performance -- restricted champions Kolkata to a modest total of 116, which Mumbai chased down with more than seven overs to spare.
The 23-year-old accounted for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane, Rinkhu Singh, Manish Pandey and the powerful Andre Russell.
"(Captain) Hardik Pandya said that since it's your debut match, enjoy yourself. Just keep bowling the way you have been," he added.
Pandya said the credit for his bowler's impressive debut should go to the extensive Mumbai scouting network.
"We thought Ashwani could come in on this pitch and bowl the way he bowled. It is all the scouts - they picked him," said Pandya.
"They have gone to all the places and picked these young kids. We played a practice game, he had that zip, that late swing, something off the wicket, a different action and he was a leftie."
Ashwani Kumar, who comes from Punjab, has played only four senior T20 matches prior to his IPL debut, in addition to 2 Ranji Trophy and 4 List A matches. It was the first time ever that Ashwani picked 4 wickets in a match. His previous best was 3/37 in List A cricket and 1/19 in T20 cricket.
Ryan Rickelton spearheaded Mumbai's chase, scoring a busy 62 off 41 balls, an innings laced with five sixes. Playing their first home match of the year, Mumbai dominated from the word go with New Zealand pacer Trent Boult claiming opener Sunil Narine's stumps in the very first over of the match.
'Collective failure' for KKR
Narine's in-form batting partner Quinton de Kock was next to go, out caught trying to loft Deepak Chahar.
Rahane followed soon after, slicing a wide and full ball from Kumar to the deep backward point fielder after scoring 11 off seven deliveries.
Aggressive middle-order batter Venkatesh Iyer struggled to get off the blocks, falling for three from nine balls.
The left-handed Angkrish Raghuvanshi batted fluently for his 26 runs but failed to carry on, leaving the visitors reeling at 45-5 in seven overs.
Despite some resistance by impact substitute Pandey (19 off 14) and the attacking Rinku Singh (17 off 14), Kolkata never recovered.
A late flurry by Ramandeep Singh (22 off 12) helped Kolkata reach the three-figure mark but it was too little too late, with the innings folding in the 17th over.
"Collective batting failure, it was a good wicket to bat on and 180-190 would have been a good total on this pitch," said Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
In contrast, Mumbai got off to a brisk start but India batter Rohit Sharma missed out once again, managing only 13 off 12 balls.
England all-rounder Will Jacks, who came in to replace Sharma, pulled his second ball over fine leg for a six, extinguishing any hopes of a Kolkata comeback.
Jacks (16 off 17) and Rickelton put together a partnership of 45 runs to take Mumbai closer to the target.
T20 specialist Suryakumar Yadav's quickfire 27 off just nine balls ensured Mumbai crossed the line without further hiccups.
