Ashwani Kumar was the unexpected star for the Mumbai Indians in their 24th win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL history. The debutant returned with magical figures of 4/24 in just three overs to win the player of the match award at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After the match, the youngster credited skipper Hardik Pandya for settling down his nerves ahead of the debut clash.
The cricketer from Punjab was so nervous ahead of his debut that he only ate a banana before the match and then became the first Indian bowler in the last decade to pick a wicket off his first ball on his IPL debut. "It is a very good feeling. I hadn't thought that 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," Ashwani said in an interview to IPL.
Ashwani's first-ever IPL wicket was of veteran Ajinkya Rahane, and then he sent back players like Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell during his spell. Among these four scalps, Russell's wicket was his favourite.
"Manish Pandey had hit me for a four already. Hardik bhai told me to bowl at the body for him. My favourite wicket was Andre Russell's because he is a very big player. Hardik bhai told me don't be afraid, so I just wanted to bowl to my plans," Ashwani added.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have climbed to the sixth position with an eight-wicket win over KKR. They chased down the 117-run target in less than 13 overs to get their net run-rate into the positive. They will next face the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 4 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.