Youngster Ashwani Kumar became the first bowler to take a four-wicket haul while on IPL debut.
Overview
Match 12 of the ongoing IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League) witnessed Mumbai Indians (MI) host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Monday, March 31. After winning the toss, skipper Hardik Pandya invited the visitors to bat first.
At the toss, Pandya said that the wicket looked good and in the evening it may get tougher to bowl for the opposition. Hence chasing seemed quite sensible to the MI captain. On the other hand, Rahane said that he was unsure of the pitch and hence losing the toss could be a good thing given that if KKR succeed in putting up a good total, they may be able to use the sea breeze, which assists the pacers to move the ball and make it tough for the batters chasing the target. But it turned out to be a bad day for Kolkata.
Also Read: IPL 2025: Match 13, LSG vs PBKS Match Prediction
Talking Points
1. Mumbai dismantle Kolkata for a paltry total
The decision proved right for Mumbai as the KKR batters struggled, suffering early jolts, including the dismissals of key players like Quinton de Kock and Venkatesh Iyer. As a result, they were left reeling at 59/5 within eight overs. Towards the end of the innings, Manish Pandey and Rinku Singh tried their best to put some runs on the board. However, KKR was eventually bowled out for a meagre 116 runs.
2. Debutant Ashwani Kumar’s dream IPL debut for MI
The star of the day was debutant left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar, who stole the show with a historic performance for Mumbai Indians. He was right on the money from the very first ball of his IPL career, ending up with a sensational four-wicket haul (4/24) against the Kolkata-based franchise. Quite incredibly, his maiden wicket was none other than opposition captain Ajinkya Rahane, whom he dismissed with his very first IPL delivery. Apart from Rahane, Ashwani also claimed the scalps of big names like Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell.
3. Rickelton’s explosive knock, MI end losing streak in IPL 2025
The hosts came out all guns blazing in the run chase. While Rohit Sharma (13 off 12 balls) continued his poor form, his fellow opener Ryan Rickelton pummeled Kolkata Knight Riders with a blistering unbeaten 62 off 41 balls. Notably, his fiery knock included five sixes and four boundaries. All-rounder Andre Russell claimed both of MI’s wickets, but by the time Will Jacks was dismissed, the score was already close to 100. In the end, Rickelton and Suryakumar Yadav (27* off 9 balls) completed the formality, sealing a dominant victory for Mumbai Indians by eight wickets with 43 balls to spare. With this win, MI finally ended their losing streak in the ongoing IPL 2025 season.
MI vs KKR Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians
Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Vignesh Puthur
Impact Subs: Rohit Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Satyanarayana Raju
Kolkata Knight Riders
Quinton de Kock(w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Subs: Anrich Nortje, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Luvnith Sisodia
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