Jhanjheri lad Ashwani strikes big in IPL debut

Stars aligned perfectly for left arm fast bowler Ashwani Kumar on Monday as he bagged a rich haul of four wickets on his debut IPL match for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders at their home ground in Wankhede Stadium.

The 23-year-old from Jhanjheri village in Mohali emerged as the surprise find for Mumbai Indians, bagging a wicket off his first ball of the tournament in the form of KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, before scalping Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell to become the first Indian to take a four-wicket haul on his IPL debut.

His 4/24 in three overs is also his best performance till date in first class cricket. Ashwani has played only four list A and four T20s and two Firat Class matches till now.

“I was feeling really good. There was a little pressure earlier, but thanks to the atmosphere of the team, I didn’t get overawed,” Ashwani told the host broadcaster at the innings break.

It was due to the debutant’s performance that KKR were bundled out for 116 runs. Ashwani, who was with Pubjab Kings last year and did not play any match, was declared Man of the Match today.

The youngster, who was bought for Rs 30 lakh at the mega auction, said before his debut match he had lost his appetite and turned up on the ground with just a banana for lunch.

Ashwani bowls at a decent pace of 135 kmph with lots of variations as his strength. His yorkers and back-of-the-hand slower ball in death overs has stood him in good stead in his short career till now. On being asked what his plan was for the match, Ashwani said, “It was simple, just go out and enjoy.”