A glittering debut presentation by medium pacer Ashwani Kumar, powered up by a single banana, helped Mumbai Indians record their first win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, downing Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets.
Kumarโs spectacular but highly unpredicted four-wickets-for-24-runs effort, coupled with an overall controlled bowling performance by the home team, limited champions Kolkata to a modest total of 116, which Mumbai chased down with more than seven overs to extra on Monday.
Kumarโs performance with the ball was not only the all-time best by an Indian IPL beginner, but itโs also the fourth-best debutant bowling figures in IPL history.
The 23-year-old took the vital wickets of Kolkata captain Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey and the powerful Andre Russell.
โI didnโt have everything for lunch, I just had a banana. There was a little pressure. I wasnโt feeling hungry,โ said Kumar.
โBut still, I played well, so itโs good.
Hardik Pandya said that later itโs your entrance match, enjoy yourself. Just keep bowling the method you have been, he added.
Pandya said the credit for his bowlerโs inspiring debut should go to the extensive Mumbai investigation network.
โWe supposed Ashwani can come in on this pitch and ball the method he bowled. It is all the guards โ they picked him,โ said Pandya.
โThey have absent to all the places and picked these young kids. We played a repetition game, he had that zip, that late swing, something off the wicket, a different act and he was a leftie.โ
Following Kumarโs feats with the ball, South African wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Rickelton spearheaded Mumbaiโs run chase at Wankhede Stadium, scoring a quick 62 off 41 balls in an innings fastened with five sixes.
T20 specialist Suryakumar Yadavโs quickfire 27 off just nine balls confirmed Mumbai closed the win over Kolkata in their first home IPL match of the year.
