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IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders Highlights. Ashwani Kumar performed brilliantly on debut, helping MI beat KKR to register their first win.
Ashwani Kumar off to a brilliant start:
On March 31, 2025, Mumbai Indians (MI) beat defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 8 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium to register their first win of IPL 2025. The match saw a brilliant start from 23-year-old left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar, who devastated the KKR batting order by taking 4 wickets.
MI’s disciplined bowling attack:
Batting first, KKR struggled against MI’s disciplined bowling attack as they were bundled out for 116 in 16.2 overs. Ashwani Kumar (4/24) dismissed KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane (11) off his very first IPL ball and later dismissed Rinku Singh (17), Manish Pandey (19) and Andre Russell (5). Deepak Chahar (2/19), Trent Boult (1/23), Hardik Pandya (1/10), Vignesh Puthur (1/15) and Mitchell Santner (1/22) supported him well, ensuring that KKR never gave up.
117 runs in just 12.5 overs:
In reply, Mumbai Indians chased down the target of 117 runs in just 12.5 overs thanks to Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 62 off 41 balls and a quick fire knock from *Surya kumar Yadav (27 off 9 balls)**. Mumbai Indians lost Rohit Sharma (13) and Will Jacks (16) to Andre Russell (2/35), but Rickelton and Yadav won the match with 43 balls to spare.
With this stunning win, Mumbai Indians moved to the 6th spot in the points table, while KKR slipped to the bottom.
F AQ: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2025.:
What was the final score of the match? KKR: 116 all out (16.2 overs)
MI: 121/2 (12.5 overs)
Who was the standout performer for MI?
Ashwani Kumar took 4 wickets for 24 runs on his IPL debut, becoming the best Indian bowler on IPL debut and winning the Player of the Match award.
How did Ashwani Kumar perform on his debut?
Took his first wicket on the first ball (Ajinkya Rahane).
Took 4/24 in 3 overs.
Dismissed key batsmen Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey and Andre Russell.
Who was the main contributor in MI’s chase?
Ryan Rickelton (62 off 41 balls, 4 fours, 5 sixes)* anchored the chase.
Suryakumar Yadav (27 off 9 balls)* bowled brilliantly.
Why did KKR struggle in the match? Lost 5 wickets inside the powerplay (45/5).
Struggled against MI’s pace bowling attack, especially against Ashwani Kumar’s debut spell.
Poor shot selection and lack of partnerships.
How did this match affect the IPL 2025 standings?
MI moved to 6th place with their first win of the season.
KKR dropped to last place with a massive drop in net run rate (-1.426 NRR).
How did MI’s bowling strategy work?
Hardik Pandya opted to bowl first, capitalizing on the early swing.
Boult and Chahar built momentum before Ashwani Kumar demolished KKR’s middle order.
Did any of the KKR batsmen perform well?
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (26 off 16 balls) and Ramandeep Singh (22 off 12 balls) showed some resistance.
No other batsman could go past 20 runs.
What records were made in this match?
Ashwini Kumar’s 4/24 became the joint-best performance by an Indian on IPL debut, equalling Shadab Jakati’s record of 4/24 in 2009.
What’s next for MI and KKR?
MI will face Lucknow Super Giants on April 4.
KKR will face Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 3.