Ryan Rickelton's match-winning half-century and debutant pacer Ashwani Kumar's record-breaking four-wicket haul drove Mumbai Indians to their maiden win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. They crushed Kolkata Knight Riders by a dominating eight-wicket margin at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Rickelton, off a record-breaking South African double century, took full advantage of the good batting conditions, reaching his first IPL fifty in 33 deliveries. Mumbai Indians eased past KKR's modest 116, reaching 121/2 for 12.5 overs.
The left-handed batsman was not out on 62 off 41 balls, hitting four boundaries and five sixes. He formed vital partnerships, contributing 46 runs with Rohit Sharma (13) for the first wicket and another 45 with Will Jacks (16) for the second. Suryakumar Yadav, finishing with a flourish with a six, was not out on 27 off nine balls, leading Mumbai to a resounding victory.
However, the real star of the match was Ashwani Kumar, who produced a dream debut performance. His stunning 4-24 remains the best-ever bowling figures by an Indian on IPL debut, dismantling KKR’s batting lineup and laying the foundation for Mumbai’s triumph.
Utilizing the full help of the Wankhede pitch, Ashwani coaxed additional bounce by repeatedly striking the short length. Jhanjeri, Punjab's 23-year-old left-arm pacer made an instant impression, sending Ajinkya Rahane packing with his very first ball. He followed that up by getting rid of Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell, compiling a nostalgic four-wicket haul.
Deepak Chahar (2-19) and Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, Vignesh Puthur, and Mitchell Santner, who took a wicket apiece, made KKR fight hard to even reach 100. The champions got bowled out for merely 116 off 16.2 overs, unable to survive their entire quota of 20 overs.
Earlier, Kolkata struggled with a poor beginning as Sunil Narine's return to the XI did not continue for more than four balls since Trent Boult knocked his stumps out. Quinton de Kock left for a single run, dismissed by Chahar from the very first delivery of the second over.
Ashwani made an entrance in style by taking Rahane's wicket early on. Rashid, the veteran batter, had hit a four off Chahar and a six off Boult, misjudged a short ball and got caught by Tilak Varma at deep backward point, leaving KKR to 25/3.
Things only got worse as Venkatesh Iyer pushed one to wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton, while Hardik Pandya got rid of Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who had made a mere 26 off 16 deliveries.
Middle-order strength Rinku Singh couldn't build an innings and was dismissed for 17 after underestimating a short delivery by Ashwani. The young pacer added a third wicket in quick time, getting Manish Pandey (19) back after the right-hander got his stumps knocked over dragging one.
Andre Russell's visit also lasted briefly. Ashwani cleverly installed him with two short balls and then tricked him with a fuller one to seal his four-wicket haul. KKR dived to 88/8, and though there was some late flourish from Ramandeep Singh and Harshit Rana, they could only reach 116.
Mumbai Indians then made quick work of the chase, dominating the match and wrapping it up.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 116 all out in 16.2 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 26, Ramandeep Singh 22; Ashwani Kumar 4-24, Deepak Chahar 2-19)
Mumbai Indians: 121/2 in 12.5 overs (Ryan Rickelton 62*, Suryakumar Yadav 27*; Andre Russell 2-35)
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