Mumbai Indians pace find Ashwani makes a splash
The left-arm pacer surprised KKR batters with pace, variation and swing, delivering on IPL debut after rising from Punjab’s hinterland
Chandigarh: The atmosphere at the Wankhede Stadium was electric on Monday night but Mumbai Indians (MI) desperately needed a win at home after two losses at the start of IPL 2025. And they found their match-winner in unheralded Ashwani Kumar, the 23-year-old left-arm pacer interior Punjab who captured 4/24 on IPL debut to beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets.
With his first delivery in IPL, Kumar dismissed KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane, caught at backward point. He also had Rinku Singh caught there off a short ball and then bowled Manish Pandey and Andre Russell. For the youngster from Jhanjeri village in Punjab, it was a sensational introduction to IPL. His spell of 3-0-24-4 earned him the Player-of-the-Match award and praise from captain Hardik Pandya.
“It’s a very good feeling. I hadn’t thought I’ll do so well. Hardik bhai told me “you’re from Punjab and Punjabis are fearless, so just scare the opponents and enjoy yourself’,” he told iplt20.com.
Kumar’s ability to crank up pace showed as he bowled at 135kph, 137kph and 140kph.
Now, how did Kumar enter MI’s star-studded camp having played only a handful of white-ball matches for Punjab in the 2024-2025 season? His bowling talent came to the fore in Punjab’s T20 league, Sher-e-Punjab, and that impressed scouts from different IPL franchises who watched matches at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. It was not just MI that showed interest and called him up for trials, but CSK, PBKS, RR and KKR too called him for trials.
“He came to my academy almost two years ago and needed to work on variations, speed, line and length. He had natural talent and also fire in the belly. He was ecstatic when MI bought him in the auction,” informed his coach Varinder Singh, who runs Launching Pad Cricket Academy in Mohali where Kumar trains with other IPL cricketers like Gurnoor Brar and Ramandeep Singh.
“When MI chose him (bought for ₹30 lakh at the auction), the next day he started training harder with bowlers like Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah in mind.”
Kumar made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2019 after stellar performances in district tournaments, at a time when the state association was investing heavily in quick bowlers. But an injury halted his progress. “He developed an elbow injury in the 2019-2020 season and had to miss the next season, and it was the lockdown. He was very disappointed. The lockdown made it more difficult. H made a comeback in 2021 and his career was back on track,” said his elder brother Shiv Singh Rana, who is a farmer and supports their father Harkesh Singh Rana in their field.
He made his one-day Vijay Hazare Trophy debut in 2021 after recovering from injury and his career was back on track. It revived his hopes of playing for India one day.
“He quit studies after Class 12. When students of his age were thinking of moving to Canada or pursuing a college degree, he was adamant of making a career in cricket. The MI kit is his first sponsored one. He never got a contract with any sports goods company and initially even struggled to buy spikes worth ₹10,000-12,000. As he started playing in the inter-district tournament, he started getting money and he invested that in training, attire and diet,” his brother said.
Life had been tough for Kumar’s family with meagre earnings. “In our family only he was fascinated by cricket. After knowing his craze for pace bowling, on a family friend’s recommendation, our father enrolled him at the Mohali Cricket Association academy; it was far from our village and he would mostly cycle to it about 40 km daily.”
His coach Varinder said: “IPL has given him a good start but he should build on from here. He knows the importance of domestic cricket too. That dream of playing for India has been rekindled,” his coach Singh.
Former Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab seamer Harmeet Bansal, who was Punjab men’s team bowling coach last season, had Kumar in his BLV Blasters team in the Sher-e-Punjab Cup’s first season. “The kind of talent he has, the pace he generates and the ability to swing the ball both ways, makes him stand out. He has not got that many chances to play for Punjab with Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep around,” said Bansal.
