Kumar put on an outstanding bowling display, becoming the first Indian player to take four wickets on IPL debut.
A sparkling debut performance by medium pacer Ashwani Kumar, powered up by a single banana, helped Mumbai Indians register their first win of the IPL season, downing Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets.
Kumar’s stunning but highly unexpected 4-wickets-for-24-runs effort, coupled with an overall disciplined bowling performance by the home team, restricted champions Kolkata to a modest total of 116, which Mumbai chased down with more than seven overs to spare on Monday.
The 23-year-old Kumar took the crucial wickets of Kolkata captain Ajinkya Rahane, Rinkhu Singh, Manish Pandey and the powerful Andre Russell.
“I didn’t have anything for lunch, I just had a banana. There was a little pressure. I wasn’t feeling hungry,” said Kumar.
“But still, I played well, so it’s good.
“(Captain) Hardik Pandya said that since it’s your debut match, enjoy yourself. Just keep bowling the way you have been,” he added.
Pandya said the credit for his bowler’s impressive debut should go to the extensive Mumbai scouting network.
“We thought Ashwani (Kumar) can come in on this pitch and bowl the way he bowled. It is all the scouts – they picked him,” said Pandya.
“They have gone to all the places and picked these young kids. We played a practice game, he had that zip, that late swing, something off the wicket, a different action and he was a leftie.”
Following Kumar’s exploits with the ball, South African wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton spearheaded Mumbai’s run chase at Wankhede Stadium, scoring a busy 62 off 41 balls in an innings laced with five sixes.
T20 specialist Suryakumar Yadav’s quickfire 27 off just nine balls ensured Mumbai sealed the win over Kolkata in their first home IPL match of the year.
