Ashwani Kumar, a 23-year-old left-arm pacer from Punjab, wrote his name in IPL history today, March 31, 2025, with a stunning debut for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium.
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He snagged 4 wickets for 24 runs, helping MI bowl out KKR for 116 and chase it down easy. That got fans talking about the best bowling starts in IPL. Let’s take a look at the top five debut spells in IPL.
What did Ashwani Kumar do on debut?
Right from the start, Ashwani made waves. Hardik Pandya tossed him the ball in the fourth over, and his first delivery knocked out KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane as he was caught by Tilak Varma.
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He didn’t stop there, grabbing Rinku Singh and Manish Pandey in his next over, then finishing off with big scalp of Andre Russell to pick his fourth wicket. His 4/24 wrecked KKR’s batting line up and MI won easily.
Top 5 best bowling figures on Indian Premier League debut
Ashwani’s 4/24 sits pretty among the best IPL debut bowling figures. Here is the top five:
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| Bowler | Team | Figures | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alzarri Joseph | MI | 6/12 | SRH | 2019 |
| Andrew Tye | GL | 5/17 | RPS | 2017 |
| Ashwani Kumar | MI | 4/24 | KKR | 2025 |
| Shoaib Akhtar | KKR | 4/11 | DC | 2008 |
| Kevon Cooper | RR | 4/26 | KXIP | 2012 |
Alzarri Joseph’s 6/12 for MI still rules, but Ashwani’s the only Indian in this elite crew right now.