Mumbai Indians seem to have unleashed another pace sensation in the form of Ashwani Kumar, who made a dream debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Monday, delivering a match-winning performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The young seamer from Jhanjheri, Mohali, was the star with the ball, picking up 4/24 in his three-over spell and playing an instrumental role in restricting KKR to 116. Bought for his base price of INR 30 lakh in the IPL mega auction, Ashwani has had to go through severe hardships before making an explosive debut in the IPL.
In a chat with the Indian Express, Ashwani's father explained how dedicated the young pacer has been growing up, giving his all to hone his skills, no matter he had to do so in rain or scorching heat.
"Rain or hot sun, Ashwani would never hesitate to go to PCA at Mohali or later at the new stadium at Mullanpur. Sometimes, he would cycle to PCA academy or take lifts or would go in shared autos," Indian Express quoted his father Harkesh Kumar as saying.
"I remember he would take Rs 30 from me for the fare, and when he was picked up for Rs 30 lakh by Mumbai Indians in the mega auction, I knew his worth was every penny. After each wicket today, I would think about those days when he would return at 10 PM after his training and again wake up the next day at 5 AM to head hack," he added.
Ashwani had a few unsuccessful trials at Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, always saw Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc as role models. Little did the pacer know that he would be tasked with the responsibility of filling in Bumrah's shoes for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 season.
"He attended trials for IPL sides but he always wanted to be like Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc. His friends would pool money to get him cricket balls and when he was picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 30 lakh, the first thing he did was to get cricket kits and balls distributed in the academies near our village. He always used to tell me that his favourite jersey would be able to wear a jersey that has his own name. and with today's performance, he has made sure that kids will wear his name jersey," said his elder brother Shiv Rana.
After rattling through KKR's batting line-up, Ashwani emerged as the player of the match for the Mumbai Indians. His mother feels the batter would be craving 'besan ka chilla and aloo paratha' after a successful outing at the Wankhede Stadium.
"He likes besan ka chilla and aloo parathas. He would be wanting that in Mumbai today," she said.