Mumbai, April 21: Ashwani Kumar, the 24-year-old fast bowler for the Mumbai Indians, showcased his talent as an impact player in the 30th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He claimed four wickets for just 24 runs in four overs.
With Ashwani’s exceptional bowling and Tilak Varma’s explosive century, the Mumbai Indians secured their second win of the season, moving up to seventh place in the points table.
In the match held at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday, the Mumbai Indians scored 199 runs, losing five wickets. Tilak Varma played a remarkable innings, remaining unbeaten on 101 runs off 45 balls, which included seven sixes and eight fours. Naman Dhir also contributed with a solid 45 runs from 32 balls. In response, the Gujarat Titans were bowled out for a mere 100 runs in 15.5 overs, with Washington Sundar being the top scorer at 26 runs. For MI, Ashwani Kumar took four wickets, while Gajanfar and Mitchell Santner each claimed two.
After the match, when asked about his strategy, Ashwani Kumar stated, “There was nothing special in the plan. When I came to bowl, I noticed that hard length and back-of-length deliveries were effective, so I decided to stick to that approach. I bowled according to the demands of the wicket and the match situation.”
Regarding the use of short balls, Ashwani mentioned, “Yes, because the wicket required that kind of bowling. We were planning to take wickets, and after discussing with Hardik Pandya, we implemented it correctly.”
This marks the second time that the left-arm bowler has taken four wickets in an IPL match. He had previously achieved the same feat in IPL 2025, taking four wickets for 24 runs. Reflecting on his performance, he said, “I have been thinking a lot about this. Whenever I get the chance to play, I want to perform well. It happened today, and I feel great.”
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