MI vs KKR: Who is Ashwani Kumar? Mumbai Indians Debutant Who Picked First-Ball Wicket in IPL 2025

Left-arm fast bowler Ashwani Kumar had a dream start to his Indian Premier League (IPL) career. Playing for Mumbai Indians (MI), he dismissed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane with the very first ball of his debut match on March 31, 2025.

Sensational First Ball Wicket

Ashwani bowled a sharp delivery, and Rahane edged it towards wide third man, where Tilak Varma took the catch after fumbling it twice. With this, Ashwani joined an elite list of bowlers who have taken a wicket on the very first ball of their IPL debut.

Bowlers Who Took Wickets on Their First IPL Ball

Bowler	Match	Batter Dismissed	Year
Ishant Sharma	KKR vs RCB	Rahul Dravid	2008
Wilkin Mota	PBKS vs CSK	Suresh Raina	2008
Shane Harwood	RR vs DC	Azhar Bilakhia	2009
Amit Singh	RR vs PBKS	Sunny Sohal	2009
Charl Langeveldt	KKR vs RR	Rob Quiney	2009
Ali Murtaza	MI vs RR	Naman Ojha	2010
TP Sudhindra	DC vs CSK	Faf du Plessis	2012
Alzarri Joseph	MI vs SRH	David Warner	2019
Matheesha Pathirana	CSK vs GT	Shubman Gill	2022
Ashwani Kumar	MI vs KKR	Ajinkya Rahane	2025

Who is Ashwani Kumar?

Ashwani Kumar is a left-arm fast bowler from Punjab. He has a deceptive bouncer and is known for his pace variations. His wide yorker makes him effective in death overs. Mumbai Indians scouts noticed him during the Sher-E-Punjab T20 Trophy in 2024, where he performed well in pressure situations.

He made his domestic debut for Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2022 but has played only four matches, taking three wickets at an economy of 8.50. He has also played two First-Class and four List A matches for Punjab.

IPL 2025 and Mumbai Indians Journey

Ashwani was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹30 lakh in the 2025 mega auction. Last season, he was part of Punjab Kings, but he did not get a chance to play. Now, he has grabbed his opportunity with Mumbai Indians in style.