Mumbai Indians have once again showcased their talent-spotting brilliance in IPL 2025. After unearthing Vignesh Puthur, MI introduced another promising youngster—left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar—who delivered a sensational debut performance against Kolkata Knight Riders ((KKR).
Facing off in the 12th match of the season, MI’s bowlers completely outplayed KKR’s batting lineup at the Wankhede Stadium. KKR struggled right from the start, losing four wickets inside the powerplay before collapsing to a mere 116 runs. But the biggest highlight of the game was the arrival of a new pace sensation in Ashwani Kumar.
Kumar made an immediate impact, striking with his very first ball in the IPL, dismissing KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane. From there, his night only got better as he removed Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and the dangerous Andre Russell to claim an outstanding four-wicket haul on debut. His lethal spell left KKR in tatters and further strengthened Mumbai’s reputation for nurturing young talent.
WATCH – Tilak Varma’s Stunning Juggling Catch Sends Ajinkya Rahane Packing
With Ashwani Kumar following in the footsteps of Vignesh Puthur, MI’s scouting system once again earned widespread praise from fans and experts on social media. The franchise’s ability to identify and develop future stars continues to be a major talking point.
From Vignesh Puthur to Ashwani Kumar in IPL 2025 – MI Scouting remains undefeated. 🙇♂️🔥 pic.twitter.com/WsFwILVhfS
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 31, 2025
Best Search Machines:
1. Google
2. ChatGPT
3. Deepseek
4. MI Scouts#AshwaniKumar pic.twitter.com/KmI5p7mcrC— Sagar (@sagarcasm) March 31, 2025
First Vignesh Puthur then Ashwani Kumar..
Management of Mumbai Indians be like :#MIvsKKR pic.twitter.com/DAGrcjixWF
— iconic (@iconic516) March 31, 2025
MI and their talent scouting is impeccable. Second to none
Ashwani kumar and Vignesh puthur 🌟#MIvsKKR pic.twitter.com/mM2RLnx2e8— Vaidesh_R (@vaideshtweetz) March 31, 2025
Mumbai Indians scouts is a better search engine than Google, ChatGPT and Grok combined 🥶#AshwaniKumar pic.twitter.com/NsG1X4izJH
— Bruce Wayne (@_Bruce__007) March 31, 2025
Earlier, Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl, expecting early swing and a dew factor in the second innings. MI made two key changes, bringing in Will Jacks and debuting Ashwani Kumar.
WATCH – Trent Boult Dismisses Sunil Narine For A Duck In The First Over
Meanwhile, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted he too would have preferred to bowl first but backed his bowlers to defend a total. Kolkata made a key change, bringing in Sunil Narine for Moeen Ali—a decision that instantly backfired as Narine was dismissed for a duck, setting the tone for KKR’s batting struggles.
