In the Mumbai Indians’ match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Ashwani Kumar made a remarkable debut in the Indian Premier League by delivering the best spell by an Indian bowler. He became just the sixth bowler in IPL history to take four or more wickets on their debut.
Ashwani’s impressive performance started with dismissing Ajinkya Rahane on his very first delivery. He then went on to claim the wickets of Rinku Singh and Manish Pandey in his second over, before taking down Andre Russell in the third. He finished with figures of four for 24 in his three overs.
While Ashwani’s debut was outstanding, the record for the best figures on debut in IPL still belongs to Alzarri Joseph, who took six wickets for 12 runs for MI against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019. This remains the best innings figures in IPL history. Andrew Tye’s five for 17 for Gujarat Lions against Rising Pune Supergiant is the only other instance of a bowler taking a fifer on debut.
The list of best figures on IPL debut now includes Alzarri Joseph (MI) with 6/12 vs SRH in 2019, Andrew Tye (GL) with 5/17 vs RPS in 2017, Shoaib Akhtar (KKR) with 4/11 vs DD in 2008, Ashwani Kumar (MI) with 4/24 vs KKR in 2024, and Kevon Cooper (RR) with 4/26 vs KXIP in 2012. Ashwani Kumar’s impressive debut has surely made a mark in IPL history.
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